A kind of plant cat litter and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a plant cat litter and a preparation method thereof, and relates to the technical field of pet supplies. The plant cat litter of the invention is made of raw materials such as coconut shell fiber, coffee grounds, starch, a binder, water, etc. The raw materials used in the plant cat litter of the invention are pure natural and pollution-free, safe and non-toxic, easy to clean, have good adsorption and deodorization effects, will not be infested with insects and mildew after being placed for a long time, is easy to use, is not easy to break and fracture during storage and transportation, has good coating properties for feces, and can effectively improve the living environment of cats.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of pet products, and in particular to a plant cat litter and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Cat litter is an object used by cat owners to bury feces and urine. It has good water absorption and is generally used together with a cat litter box (or cat toilet). In the early days, cat litter was mainly non-clumping cat litter, which was mainly used for the storage of feces. However, it would not clump after encountering urine and could not play a storage role. It needed to be checked frequently and shoveled out in time during use. It was very inconvenient to use, needed to be replaced frequently, and was used in large quantities, which easily caused waste. Therefore, clumping litter products appeared on the market. After absorbing urine and feces, clumping litter will clump together. With a cat litter shovel, it is easy to clean. Compared with non-clumping cat litter, it is more convenient and economical to use. Therefore, clumping cat litter is more popular with consumers than non-clumping cat litter.

[0003] The clumping litters currently available on the market mainly include the following categories: bentonite-based condensed cat litter, tofu cat litter, and sawdust cat litter. The main component of bentonite-based condensed cat litter is bentonite, which will clump after contact with urine or feces. The cat litter is relatively light and feels good on the feet. It is suitable for cats who like to bury by nature and is convenient to clean. The disadvantage is that the cat litter particles are small and easily stuck in the gaps between the cat's toes. After the cat defecates, the small sand particles remaining in the gaps between the toes will be licked and eaten, causing health risks for pets. In addition, bentonite cat litter has large dust and cannot be degraded, which is not good for the environment. Tofu cat litter is made from tofu residue as raw material. It has good clumping properties, is easy to clean, is environmentally friendly and degradable, has little dust, and is non-toxic. The disadvantages are that the cost is high, it has a bean smell, and it is not good for the packaging of feces. It is easy to grow insects in summer or in a humid environment, and it is easy to break and break during storage and transportation, resulting in poor performance. Sawdust cat litter is made of recycled pine or fir wood, supplemented with a small amount of natural binder, and has very little dust and good agglomeration and deodorization functions. The disadvantages are that sawdust is easily affected by moisture and breeds fleas; some cats do not like the smell of wood, are not used to the touch, and even refuse to use it; the price is much more expensive than bentonite cat litter; sawdust powder can easily be taken out of the cat litter, polluting the home.

[0004] Therefore, developing an environmentally friendly plant cat litter that is dust-free, lightweight, not easy to break, has good encapsulation, good taste, and good adsorption is a hot topic in current research. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems and overcome the problems of existing clumping cat litter such as large dust, easy to break and fracture, poor encapsulation, and bad taste, the present invention adjusts the types and ratios of raw materials and combines a specific preparation process to provide an environmentally friendly plant cat litter that is dust-free, lightweight, not easy to break and fracture, has good encapsulation, good taste, and good adsorption.

[0006] The plant cat litter of the invention comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 35-50 parts of coconut shell fibers, 5-20 parts of coffee grounds, 25-45 parts of starch, 1-10 parts of a binder and 8-16 parts of water.

[0007] Furthermore, the plant cat litter comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 40 to 48 parts of coconut shell fibers, 10 to 16 parts of coffee grounds, 30 to 40 parts of starch, 1 to 6 parts of a binder, and 10 to 15 parts of water.

[0008] Furthermore, the preparation process of the coconut shell fiber is as follows: separating the shell and the kernel of a mature coconut, placing the shell for 25 to 35 days to mature, crushing the matured coconut shell through a 30-mesh sieve to obtain coconut shell particles, washing the coconut shell particles with water, dehydrating and drying them to obtain coconut shell fiber.

[0009] Furthermore, the water content of the coconut shell fiber is ≤14%.

[0010] Furthermore, during the preparation process of the coconut shell fiber, the separated core part can be eaten directly or processed as a food raw material, such as preparing coconut oil.

[0011] The invention matures the cellulose, lignin and other substances in the coconut shell by maturing the outer coconut shell, which can increase the toughness of the cat litter, reduce the density, and reduce the weight of the product. In addition, the matured cellulose and lignin will not continue to decompose when used, and when used as nutrient soil or compost, it can avoid damage to tender young roots and ensure that the root system of cultivated plants can grow normally.

[0012] Furthermore, the coffee grounds have a particle size of 80-100 meshes and a water content of ≤14%.

[0013] Furthermore, the starch is one or more of corn starch, cassava starch, sweet potato starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, mung bean starch, and wheat starch.

[0014] Preferably, the starch is one or both of corn starch and tapioca starch.

[0015] Furthermore, the binder is one or more of guar gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, sodium polyacrylate, pregelatinized corn starch or xanthan gum.

[0016] Preferably, the binder is one or more of guar gum and sodium polyacrylate.

[0017] The present invention also provides a method for preparing the plant cat litter, comprising the following steps:

[0018] (1) Ingredients: adding water to coconut shell fiber, coffee grounds, starch, and a binder, stirring and mixing uniformly to obtain a mixture;

[0019] (2) forming: granulating the mixed material to obtain granular material;

[0020] (3) Drying: The granular material is dusted and then dried;

[0021] (4) Cooling and sieving: After the dried granular material is cooled to room temperature, it is subjected to secondary dust removal and sieving to obtain plant cat litter.

[0022] Furthermore, the mixing time in step (1) is 2 to 3 minutes, and the water content of the mixture is 18% to 23%.

[0023] Furthermore, the particle size of the granular material in step (2) is 2 to 3 mm.

[0024] Furthermore, the drying temperature in step (3) is 80° C. to 85° C., and the moisture content of the granular material after drying is ≤10%.

[0025] Furthermore, the particle size of the plant cat litter is ≤5 mm and the length is 5 to 20 mm.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the present invention are:

[0027] (1) The product of the present invention uses plant raw materials such as coconut shell fiber and coffee grounds. The raw materials are natural, without any additives or chemicals, safe and non-toxic, easy to clean, less dust, and pollution-free;

[0028] (2) The invention imparts a fragrant coffee flavor to the cat litter by adding coffee grounds, so that the cat litter has a good adsorption and deodorization effect;

[0029] (3) The cat litter of the present invention has excellent water absorption, fluffiness, deodorization and adsorption performance, is biodegradable, green and environmentally friendly, and can effectively improve the living environment of cats;

[0030] (4) The cat litter of the present invention can be used as nutrient soil or organic fertilizer after use, which plays a role in improving the soil and saving resources;

[0031] (5) The cat litter of the present invention will not be infested with insects or mold after being placed for a long time, is easy to use, and naturally disperses after being soaked in water. It can be flushed into the toilet or discarded without causing environmental pollution;

[0032] (6) The cat litter of the present invention is a lightweight product with good strength. It is not easy to break during storage and transportation. It has a good feel and is loved by cats. It immediately clumps after contacting urine or feces, has good coating properties for feces, and can be easily scooped out without getting stuck between cats' toes. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solution provided by the present invention is further described below in conjunction with embodiments.

[0034] The preparation process of coconut shell fiber in the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: separating the shell and the kernel of a mature coconut, placing the shell for 25-35 days for maturation, crushing the matured coconut shell through a 30-mesh sieve to obtain coconut shell particles, washing the coconut shell particles with water, dehydrating and drying, and obtaining coconut shell fiber with a moisture content of ≤14%.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] A preparation process of plant cat litter, the steps are as follows:

[0037] (1) Ingredients: 44 parts by weight of coconut shell fiber, 15 parts by weight of coffee grounds, 36 parts by weight of corn starch, 5 parts by weight of guar gum, and 13 parts by weight of water were added into a premixer, and stirred to mix evenly. The mixing time was 2 minutes, and the moisture content was controlled at 20%;

[0038] (2) Molding: The mixed material of step (1) is added to the storage bin through a screw feeder, and granulated and molded using a 2 mm vertical ring die pelletizer;

[0039] (3) Screening: The product obtained in step (2) is conveyed by a belt conveyor to a vibrating screen for the first dust removal;

[0040] (4) Drying: The product obtained in step (3) is conveyed into a microwave drying machine through a belt conveyor, and the drying temperature is controlled at 82° C. The moisture content after drying is 10%;

[0041] (5) Cooling and screening: The product obtained in step (4) is conveyed into a cooling tower by a belt conveyor, cooled to room temperature, and subjected to secondary screening and dust removal. The particles or dust smaller than 5 mm are screened and retained, and particles with a length of 8 mm are allowed to pass through a vibrating screen to obtain the plant cat litter.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] A preparation process of plant cat litter, the steps are as follows:

[0044] (1) Ingredients: 44 parts by weight of coconut shell fiber, 15 parts by weight of coffee grounds, 38 parts by weight of cassava starch, 3 parts by weight of guar gum, and 12 parts by weight of water were added into a premixer, and stirred to mix evenly. The mixing time was 2 minutes, and the moisture content was controlled at 19%;

[0045] (2) Molding: The mixed material of step (1) is added to the storage bin through a screw feeder, and granulated and molded using a 2 mm vertical ring die pelletizer;

[0046] (3) Screening: The product obtained in step (2) is conveyed by a belt conveyor to a vibrating screen for the first dust removal;

[0047] (4) Drying: The product obtained in step (3) is conveyed into a microwave drying machine through a belt conveyor, and the drying temperature is controlled at 82° C. The moisture content after drying is 10%;

[0048] (5) Cooling and screening: The product obtained in step (4) is conveyed into a cooling tower by a belt conveyor, cooled to room temperature, and subjected to secondary screening and dust removal. The particles or dust smaller than 5 mm are screened and retained, and particles with a length of 8 mm are allowed to pass through a vibrating screen to obtain the plant cat litter.

[0049] Example 3

[0050] A preparation process of plant cat litter, the steps are as follows:

[0051] The preparation method is as follows:

[0052] (1) Ingredients: 48 parts by weight of coconut shell fiber, 10 parts by weight of coffee grounds, 36 parts by weight of corn starch, 1 part by weight of sodium polyacrylate, 5 parts by weight of guar gum, and 14 parts by weight of water were added into a premixer and stirred to mix evenly. The mixing time was 3 minutes and the moisture content was controlled at 21%;

[0053] (2) Molding: The mixed material of step (1) is added to the storage bin through a screw feeder, and granulated and molded using a 2 mm vertical ring die pelletizer;

[0054] (3) Screening: The product obtained in step (2) is conveyed by a belt conveyor to a vibrating screen for the first dust removal;

[0055] (4) Drying: The product obtained in step (3) is conveyed into a microwave drying machine through a belt conveyor, and the drying temperature is controlled at 82° C. The moisture content after drying is 10%;

[0056] (5) Cooling and screening: The product obtained in step (4) is conveyed into a cooling tower by a belt conveyor, cooled to room temperature, and subjected to secondary screening and dust removal. The particles or dust smaller than 5 mm are screened and retained, and particles with a length of 10 mm are allowed to pass through a vibrating screen to obtain the plant cat litter.

[0057] Example 4

[0058] A preparation process of plant cat litter, the steps are as follows:

[0059] (1) Ingredients: 40 parts by weight of coconut shell fiber, 16 parts by weight of coffee grounds, 25 parts by weight of corn starch, 15 parts by weight of tapioca starch, 0.5 parts by weight of sodium polyacrylate, 3.5 parts by weight of guar gum, and 10 parts by weight of water are put into a premixer and stirred to mix evenly. The mixing time is 3 minutes and the moisture content is controlled at 18%;

[0060] (2) Molding: The mixed material of step (1) is added to the storage bin through a screw feeder, and granulated and molded using a 2 mm vertical ring die pelletizer;

[0061] (3) Screening: The product obtained in step (2) is conveyed by a belt conveyor to a vibrating screen for the first dust removal;

[0062] (4) Drying: The product obtained in step (3) is conveyed into a microwave drying machine through a belt conveyor, and the drying temperature is controlled at 80° C. The moisture content after drying is 10%;

[0063] (5) Cooling and screening: The product obtained in step (4) is conveyed into a cooling tower by a belt conveyor, cooled to room temperature, and subjected to secondary screening and dust removal. The particles or dust smaller than 5 mm are screened and retained, and particles with a length of 10 mm are allowed to pass through a vibrating screen to obtain the plant cat litter.

[0064] Example 5

[0065] A preparation process of plant cat litter, the steps are as follows:

[0066] (1) Ingredients: 48 parts by weight of coconut shell fiber, 16 parts by weight of coffee grounds, 30 parts by weight of corn starch, 1 part by weight of sodium polyacrylate, 5 parts by weight of guar gum, and 13 parts by weight of water were added into a premixer and stirred to mix evenly. The mixing time was 3 minutes and the moisture content was controlled at 20%;

[0067] (2) Molding: The mixed material of step (1) is added to the storage bin through a screw feeder, and granulated and molded using a 2 mm vertical ring die pelletizer;

[0068] (3) Screening: The product obtained in step (2) is conveyed by a belt conveyor to a vibrating screen for the first dust removal;

[0069] (4) Drying: The product obtained in step (3) is conveyed into a microwave drying machine through a belt conveyor, and the drying temperature is controlled at 82° C. The moisture content after drying is 10%;

[0070] (5) Cooling and screening: The product obtained in step (4) is conveyed into a cooling tower by a belt conveyor, cooled to room temperature, and subjected to secondary screening and dust removal. The particles or dust smaller than 5 mm are screened and retained, and particles with a length of 8 mm are allowed to pass through a vibrating screen to obtain the plant cat litter.

[0071] Example 6

[0072] A preparation process of plant cat litter, the steps are as follows:

[0073] (1) Ingredients: Add 48 parts by weight of coconut shell fiber, 13 parts by weight of coffee grounds, 38 parts by weight of cassava starch, 1 part by weight of sodium polyacrylate, and 15 parts by weight of water into a premixer, stir and mix evenly, the mixing time is 3 minutes, and the moisture content is controlled at 23%;

[0074] (2) Molding: The mixed material of step (1) is added to the storage bin through a screw feeder, and granulated and molded using a 2 mm vertical ring die pelletizer;

[0075] (3) Screening: The product obtained in step (2) is conveyed by a belt conveyor to a vibrating screen for the first dust removal;

[0076] (4) Drying: The product obtained in step (3) is conveyed into a microwave drying machine by a belt conveyor, and the drying temperature is controlled at 85° C. The moisture content after drying is 10%;

[0077] (5) Cooling and screening: The product obtained in step (4) is conveyed into a cooling tower by a belt conveyor, cooled to room temperature, and subjected to secondary screening and dust removal. The particles or dust smaller than 5 mm are screened and retained, and particles with a length of 8 mm are allowed to pass through a vibrating screen to obtain the plant cat litter.

[0078] Test Example 1

[0079] 30 cat owners were recruited to use the plant cat litter of Example 1. The method of use was as follows: a layer of plant cat litter with a thickness of 5-6 cm was spread in a clean cat litter box, the used cat litter was cleaned every day, and the clumping property, disintegration property, deodorization effect, insect infestation, mildew, dust and the like of the cat litter were observed and tested, and cat litter was added regularly once a week. The cat litter was used continuously for 1 month and evaluated.

[0080] Test results: 29 people reported that the plant cat litter has excellent clumping properties, little dust, no insects, no mold, and no odor. Cats like to use it and do not reject it. It has excellent coating properties for feces and can be easily scooped out without getting stuck between cats' toes. The used cat litter can be flushed directly into the toilet without clogging, making it easy to handle. 1 person did not report the test results. Among them, 5 people used the scooped cat litter to plant cat grass, which began to germinate and grow lushly in about 3-5 days, and could be cut for cat feeding in about 7 days.

[0081] Comparative Example 1

[0082] Bioline bentonite cat litter sold on the market.

[0083] Comparative Example 2

[0084] Bioline tofu cat litter sold on the market.

[0085] Comparative Example 3

[0086] Cat's Best wood chip cat litter on the market.

[0087] Test Example 2

[0088] The cat litters described in Examples 1-6 and Comparative Examples 1-3 were tested for odor, water absorption, clumping, dust rate, deodorizing effect, and disintegration.

[0089] The test method is as follows:

[0090] 1. Smell: Take an appropriate amount of sample, place it on a white enamel plate, and identify it by sniffing under natural light or 40w fluorescent light.

[0091] 2. Water absorption: Use a sampler to sample cat litter and spread it in a sample basin about 8cm to 10cm thick. Use a syringe to absorb 20mL of 1% sodium chloride solution at a temperature of 36℃ to 40℃, about 3cm away from the sample plane, and push the syringe evenly. The solution will flow into the sample within 30s. After all the solution flows out for 60s, take out the clumped sample and weigh the mass m on a balance with a sensitivity of 0.01g. According to this method, 3 groups of samples are made at the same time to calculate the average value. The water absorption rate calculation formula is as follows:

[0092]

[0093] Wherein: X-water absorption rate (%); m-agglomeration weight, in grams (g).

[0094] 3. Agglomeration: Use a sampler to take a sample of cat litter and spread it flat in a sample basin to a thickness of about 8 cm to 10 cm. Use a syringe to draw 20 mL of 1% sodium chloride solution at a temperature of 36°C to 40°C. Push the syringe evenly about 3 cm away from the sample plane. The solution will flow into the sample within 30 seconds. After all the solution flows out after 60 seconds, take out the clumping sample and use a ruler to measure the longitudinal length of the sample, which is the clumping property of the cat litter. Use this method to make 3 groups of samples at the same time and calculate the average value.

[0095] 4. Dust rate: Randomly select 2.5kg (M2) of finished cat litter and divide it into 5 times, 500g each time, pour it into a 30-mesh standard sieve, place it in a vibrating screen, cover it with a sealing cover, start the vibrating screen, vibrate for 15s, and collect the powder under the sieve 5 times after the vibration is completed, and weigh the total weight W.

[0096] The powder content calculation formula is as follows:

[0097]

[0098] Where: F-powder content (%); M2-total weight of the sample, in grams (g); W-total weight of the powder under the sieve, in grams (g).

[0099] 5. Deodorization effect: Prepare an odor source of 5wt‰ ammonia solution, keep a constant temperature of 23℃~27℃, place the sample with bulk density together with the material cup in a square sealed sample box with a length of 30cm, a width of 20cm, and a height of 10cm or a sample box of the same volume, place an ammonia meter 10cm away from the material cup, use a pipette to remove 20mL of the prepared odor source and flow it down to the center of the material cup, start to seal the sample box, and read the value after 3 minutes to get the deodorization effect.

[0100] 6. Collapse: Randomly take a clumping sample after the water absorption test, place it in a beaker filled with 300mL of room temperature distilled water, start timing, and gently stir it clockwise with a sample spoon at a speed of one circle every 2 seconds to observe whether the clumping sample collapses into multiple clumps with a diameter of less than 2cm, and record the time it takes for it to completely collapse.

[0101] The test results are as follows:

[0102]

[0103] It can be seen that the cat litters prepared in Examples 1-6 of the present invention have excellent water absorption, agglomeration, deodorization effect, disintegration and low dust rate, which are significantly better than Comparative Examples 1-3.

[0104] Test Example 3 Toxicological Test

[0105] 1) Materials and animals

[0106] Test sample: plant cat litter of Examples 1-6.

[0107] Experimental animals: SPF-grade KM mice, weight: 18-22 g, a total of 120, half male and half female, provided by Sibeifu (Beijing) Biotechnology Co., Ltd., production license number: SCXK (Beijing) 2019-0010.

[0108] 2) Test methods

[0109] Refer to the acute oral toxicity test method in the "Technical Specification for Safety of Cosmetics (2015 Edition)".

[0110] 3) Test results

[0111] The oral lethal dose (LD50) of the test sample to KM female and male mice was greater than 5000 mg / BW. The results are as follows:

[0112]

[0113]

[0114] It can be seen that the oral median lethal dose (LD50) of the plant cat litter in Examples 1-6 of the present invention for female and male KM mice is greater than 5000 mg / BW, and is a practically non-toxic substance.

[0115] The principles and implementation methods of the present invention are described in this article using specific examples. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A plant cat litter, characterized in that: The method comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 35-50 parts of coconut shell fiber, 5-20 parts of coffee grounds, 25-45 parts of starch, 1-10 parts of binder, and 8-16 parts of water; The preparation process of the coconut shell fiber is as follows: The shell and kernel of a mature coconut are separated, the shell is placed for 25 to 35 days for maturation, the matured coconut shell is crushed through a 30-mesh sieve to obtain coconut shell particles, the coconut shell particles are washed with water, dehydrated and dried to obtain coconut shell fiber; The starch is one or more of corn starch, cassava starch, sweet potato starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, mung bean starch, and wheat starch; The binder is one or more of guar gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, sodium polyacrylate, pregelatinized corn starch or xanthan gum.

2. A method for preparing the plant cat litter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: (1) Ingredients: adding water to coconut shell fiber, coffee grounds, starch, and a binder, stirring and mixing uniformly to obtain a mixture; (2) forming: granulating the mixed material to obtain granular material; (3) Drying: The granular material is dusted and then dried; (4) Cooling and screening: After the dried granular material is cooled to room temperature, secondary dust removal is performed and the plant cat litter is obtained after screening.

3. The method for preparing a plant cat litter according to claim 2, wherein: The mixing time in step (1) is 2-3 minutes, and the water content of the mixture is 18%-23%.

4. The method for preparing a plant cat litter according to claim 2, wherein: The particle size of the granules in step (2) is 2-3 mm.

5. The method for preparing a plant cat litter according to claim 2, wherein: The drying temperature in step (3) is 80° C. to 85° C., and the moisture content of the granular material after drying is ≤10%.

6. The method for preparing a plant cat litter according to claim 2, wherein: The particle size of the plant cat litter is ≤5mm and the length is 5-20mm.

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