Excrement treatment material and method for producing same

Abstract

The invention provides an excrement treatment material capable of reducing malodor generated by cat urine and a manufacturing method thereof. The excrement treatment material (1) is used for absorbing cat urine. An excrement treatment material (1) is provided with a water-absorbent granular body (10). The granular body (10) contains an inhibitory substance that inhibits protein in cat urine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an excrement disposal material for cats and a method for producing the same. Background Art

[0002] As a conventional excrement disposal material, there is a material described in Patent Document 1. The excrement disposal material described in the document is an excrement disposal material for cats, and is composed of a plurality of water-absorbent granules. The excrement disposal material is used in a state where a plurality of granules are laid in a box-shaped toilet.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-97996 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] The above-mentioned excrement treatment material treats cat urine excreted into the toilet by absorbing the urine with granules. However, sometimes a foul odor is generated from the urine absorbed by the granules and floats around the excrement treatment material. The foul odor is caused by a compound called feline generated in cat urine. The protein (cauxin) contained in cat urine acts as a catalyst for the generation of feline.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an excrement disposal material capable of reducing the malodor generated by cat urine, and a method for producing the same.

[0009] Means for solving problems

[0010] The excrement disposal material of the present invention is an excrement disposal material for absorbing cat urine, and is characterized in that it comprises water-absorbent granules, wherein the granules contain an inhibitory substance for inhibiting protein in the urine.

[0011] The excrement treatment material is provided with granules containing an inhibitory substance for inhibiting protein in cat urine, thereby hindering the catalytic action of protein in urine absorbed by the granules, thereby inhibiting the generation of feline urenic acid, which is the cause of bad odor.

[0012] In addition, the method for producing an excrement treatment material of the present invention is a method for producing an excrement treatment material that absorbs cat urine, and is characterized in that it includes a granule forming step of forming water-absorbent granules, and in the above-mentioned granule forming step, the above-mentioned granules are formed containing an inhibitory substance that inhibits the protein in the above-mentioned urine.

[0013] In this manufacturing method, a granular body containing an inhibitory substance for inhibiting protein in cat urine is formed. Thus, in the excrement treatment material after manufacturing, the catalytic action of protein in urine absorbed by the granular body is hindered. Therefore, the generation of feline urenic acid, which is the cause of bad odor, can be suppressed.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, an excrement disposal material capable of reducing bad odor generated by cat urine and a method for producing the same can be realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the excrement disposal material of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the granular body 10 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the excrement disposal material of the present invention. Excrement disposal material 1 is an excrement disposal material for cats that absorbs cat urine. Excrement disposal material 1 includes a plurality of granular bodies 10. Excrement disposal material 1 is used, for example, in a state where a plurality of granular bodies 10 are laid in a box-shaped toilet.

[0020] Each granule 10 is hygroscopic. That is, each granule 10 takes urine into its interior and maintains it. In order to make the granule 10 hygroscopic, the liquid permeability measured by the following test needs to be less than 60%. First, 50g of granules 10 (sample) are placed in a sieve with an inner diameter of 10cm and a mesh of 1mm. An empty beaker is set below the sieve. Then, for the sample, 30ml of water is dripped for 10 seconds using a syringe with an inner diameter of 3cm and an inner diameter of 4mm at the front end of the tube (60ml syringe made by Terumo Corporation). After standing for 1 minute, the amount of water in the beaker is measured. The ratio of the measured amount of water to the amount of water (30ml) dripped is used as the liquid permeability. That is, if the amount of water in the beaker is less than 18ml, the liquid permeability is less than 60%, so it can be said that the granule 10 is hygroscopic.

[0021] Each granular body 10 is granular. As the shape of the granular body, for example, a sphere, a cylinder or an ellipsoid can be cited. The particle size of each granular body 10 is, for example, not less than 5 mm and not more than 20 mm. Here, the particle size of the granular body 10 is defined as the diameter of the smallest sphere that can contain the granular body 10.

[0022] Each granular body 10 contains an inhibitory substance that inhibits the protein (cauxin) in cat urine. The inhibitory substance has the property of hindering the catalytic action of the protein. It should be noted that the "inhibition" in this specification is not limited to the case where the inhibitory substance binds to the protein and hinders its catalytic action, but also includes the case where the inhibitory substance decomposes the protein and hinders its catalytic action, and the case where the inhibitory substance denatures the protein and hinders its catalytic action. That is, the inhibitory substance can be a binding type inhibitory substance that inhibits the protein by binding to the protein, it can also be an inhibitory substance that inhibits the decomposition of the protein by decomposing the protein, and it can also be a denaturing type inhibitory substance that inhibits the protein by denaturing the protein.

[0023] As a binding inhibitor, for example, inhibitors such as lectins that specifically bind to the above-mentioned proteins can be cited. As a decomposition inhibitor, for example, digestive enzymes (proteases) such as pepsin, trypsin, and peptidase can be cited. Proteases that can be used are those contained in fruits such as pineapple, kiwi, papaya, and apple. As a denaturing inhibitor, for example, denaturants such as guanidine hydrochloride can be cited. The weight ratio of the inhibitor in each granular body 10 is, for example, not less than 1% and not more than 10%.

[0024] Each granular body 10 is mainly made of organic matter other than the inhibitor. Here, the main material of the granular body 10 refers to the material that has the largest weight ratio in the granular body 10 among the materials constituting the granular body 10. Examples of organic matter that is the main material of the granular body 10 include paper, plants, plastics, or organic sludge. Each granular body 10 is preferably composed only of organic matter (including the inhibitor).

[0025] Paper refers to a material with pulp as the main body. As paper, for example, in addition to ordinary paper (paper powder), short fiber pulp, paper from vinyl chloride wallpaper (paper produced during the manufacture or classification of vinyl chloride wallpaper), paper from gypsum board (paper produced during the manufacture or classification of gypsum board), or paper from sanitary products (paper produced during the manufacture or classification of sanitary products containing paper) can also be used. As sanitary products containing paper, for example, diapers, sanitary napkins, urine pads or sanitary paper (paper towels, toilet paper, paper handkerchiefs, etc.) can be cited. As plants, for example, wood powder, sawdust or plant residues (tea dregs, tofu dregs, etc.) can be used. As plastics, for example, in addition to ordinary plastics, plastics from vinyl chloride wallpaper (plastics produced during the manufacture or classification of vinyl chloride wallpaper) or plastics from sanitary products (plastics produced during the manufacture or classification of sanitary products containing plastics) can also be used. As sanitary products containing plastics, for example, diapers, sanitary napkins, urine pads or sanitary masks can be cited. As the organic sludge, for example, papermaking sludge or pulp sludge can be used.

[0026] Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the granular body 10. Each granular body 10 has a core 12 and a coating 14. The core 12 is a granulated material formed into a granular shape. The core 12 has the function of absorbing and retaining urine. The core 12 uses organic matter other than inhibitory substances as a main material. Here, the main material of the core 12 refers to the material that occupies the largest weight proportion in the core 12 among the materials constituting the core 12 (core material). The core 12 may contain an adhesive material or may not contain an adhesive material. As the adhesive material, for example, a water-absorbing polymer, starch, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) or dextrin can be cited. As the water-absorbing polymer, for example, an acrylic acid-based water-absorbing polymer such as sodium polyacrylate can be used.

[0027] The covering portion 14 covers the core portion 12. The covering portion 14 may cover the entire surface of each core portion 12, or may cover only a portion of the surface of each core portion 12. The covering portion 14 has a function of bonding the granular bodies 10 that have absorbed urine during use to form agglomerates (agglomeration function). The covering portion 14 contains an adhesive material. The covering portion 14 also uses organic matter other than the inhibitory substance as a main material. Here, the main material of the covering portion 14 refers to the material that has the largest weight proportion in the covering portion 14 among the materials (covering materials) constituting the covering portion 14. In the present embodiment, both the core portion 12 and the covering portion 14 contain the inhibitory substance.

[0028] Next, as one embodiment of the method for producing the excrement treatment material of the present invention, an example of a method for producing the excrement treatment material 1 will be described. This production method includes a granular body forming step.

[0029] The granular body forming step is a step of forming the granular body 10. The granular body forming step includes a core forming step and a coating forming step. The core forming step is a step of forming the core 12. In the core forming step, a core material containing an inhibitor is granulated using a granulating device to form a plurality of granulated products that become the core 12. As the granulating device, for example, an extrusion granulator can be used. Before granulation, the core material is pre-treated by crushing, kneading, adding water, etc. as needed.

[0030] The coating forming step is a step of forming the coating 14. In the coating forming step, a coating material containing an inhibitory substance is attached to the surface of each core 12 using a coating device, thereby forming the coating 14. The attachment of the coating material can be performed, for example, by scattering or spraying. Then, post-processing such as sieving (granulation) and drying is performed as needed. Through the above operations, an excrement treatment material 1 consisting of a plurality of granules 10 is obtained.

[0031] The effect of this embodiment is described. In this embodiment, the granules 10 containing the inhibitory substance for inhibiting the protein in cat urine are formed. As a result, in the excrement disposal material 1, the catalytic action of the protein in urine absorbed by the granules 10 is hindered. Therefore, the generation of felinine, which is the cause of the malodor, can be suppressed. Therefore, the excrement disposal material 1 and the manufacturing method thereof that can reduce the malodor generated by cat urine are realized.

[0032] In particular, when the inhibitory substance is of a binding type, the inhibitory effect can be exerted simply by binding the inhibitory substance to a specific site of the protein, and thus there is an advantage that the catalytic action of the protein can be inhibited in a short period of time.

[0033] The granular body 10 has a core 12 and a coating 14. In this case, the core 12 and the coating 14 can have different functions. For example, in this embodiment, the core 12 mainly has the water absorption / retention function, and the coating 14 has the agglomeration function.

[0034] The inhibitory substance is contained in both the core 12 and the cover 14. Thus, the bad smell generated by both the urine remaining in the core 12 and the urine remaining in the cover 14 can be effectively reduced.

[0035] The granules 10 are mainly made of organic matter. Thus, it is possible to obtain granules 10 suitable for incineration. This helps facilitate the disposal of the used granules 10. In particular, when each granule 10 is composed only of organic matter, it is possible to obtain granules 10 that are more suitable for incineration.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the inhibitor is directly contained in the granular body 10 is exemplified. However, the inhibitor may also be contained in the granular body 10 in a state of being supported by a carrier. In this case, all the inhibitor may be supported by the carrier, or only a part of the inhibitor may be supported by the carrier, and the remaining inhibitor may be directly contained in the granular body 10.

[0037] As the above-mentioned carrier, for example, a water-absorbent polymer can be cited. That is, the granular body 10 may also contain a water-absorbent polymer carrying an inhibitory substance. In this case, in the core forming step, before granulation, a step of preparing the core material by mixing the water-absorbent polymer pre-loaded with the inhibitory substance with other materials is performed. In addition, in the coating forming step, before attaching the coating material to the surface of the core 12, a step of preparing the coating material by mixing the water-absorbent polymer pre-loaded with the inhibitory substance with other materials is performed. Since a large amount of urine is accumulated in the water-absorbent polymer, by making the water-absorbent polymer pre-loaded with the inhibitory substance, the malodor generated by urine can be effectively reduced.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the case where the inhibitory substance is contained in both the core 12 and the covering 14 is exemplified. However, the inhibitory substance may be contained in only one of the core 12 and the covering 14. In this case, the amount of the inhibitory substance used can be saved, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the excrement treatment material 1.

[0039] In the case where the inhibitory substance is contained only in the core 12 of the core 12 and the coating 14, it is advantageous to prevent the inhibitory substance from falling off from the granular body 10 before use. On the other hand, in the case where the inhibitory substance is contained only in the coating 14 of the core 12 and the coating 14, the inhibitory substance specifically reduces the malodor generated by urine remaining in the coating 14. The malodor generated by urine remaining in the coating 14 is more likely to leak to the outside of the excrement treatment material 1 than the malodor generated by urine remaining in the core 12. Therefore, by specifically reducing the malodor generated by urine remaining in the coating 14, it is possible to effectively suppress the malodor from floating around the excrement treatment material 1 with a small amount of inhibitory substance.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the case where each granular body 10 has a multilayer structure (two-layer structure) consisting of a core 12 and a coating 14 is exemplified. However, it is not necessary to provide the coating 14. That is, each granular body 10 may also have a single-layer structure consisting only of uncoated granules (core 12). In this case, since a coating material is not required, the manufacturing cost of the excrement treatment material 1 can be reduced.

[0041] Explanation of symbols

[0042] 1. Excreta disposal materials

[0043] 10 Granules

[0044] 12 Core

[0045] 14 covered part

Claims

1. An excrement disposal material, which is an excrement disposal material for absorbing cat urine, characterized in that: It has water-absorbing granules. The granules contain an inhibitory substance that inhibits protein in the urine.

2. The excrement disposal material according to claim 1, wherein The inhibitory substance inhibits the protein by decomposing the protein.

3. The excrement disposal material according to claim 1, wherein The inhibitory substance inhibits the protein by denaturing the protein.

4. The excrement disposal material according to claim 1, wherein The inhibitory substance inhibits the protein by binding to the protein.

5. The excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The granules contain a water-absorbing polymer on which the inhibitor is supported.

6. The excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The granular body includes a granular core and a coating covering the core.

7. The excrement disposal material according to claim 6, wherein: The inhibitory substance is contained only in the core portion of the core portion and the coating portion.

8. The excrement disposal material according to claim 6, wherein: The inhibitory substance is contained only in the coating portion of the core portion and the coating portion.

9. The excrement disposal material according to claim 6, wherein: The inhibitory substance is contained in both the core portion and the covering portion.

10. The excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The granular body is mainly made of organic matter.

11. The excrement disposal material according to claim 10, wherein: The granules consist only of organic matter.

12. A method for producing an excrement disposal material, which is a method for producing an excrement disposal material that absorbs cat urine, characterized in that: The method comprises the step of forming a granular body having water-absorbing properties, In the granule forming step, the granules containing the inhibitory substance for inhibiting protein in the urine are formed.

13. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to claim 12, wherein: The inhibitory substance inhibits the protein by decomposing the protein.

14. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to claim 12, wherein: The inhibitory substance inhibits the protein by denaturing the protein.

15. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to claim 12, wherein: The inhibitory substance inhibits the protein by binding to the protein.

16. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein: In the granular body forming step, the granular body including the water-absorbing polymer supporting the inhibitor is formed.

17. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein: The granular body forming step includes: a core forming step of forming a granular core; and a coating forming step of forming a coating covering the core.

18. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to claim 17, wherein: In the core forming step, the core containing the inhibitory substance is formed. In the covering portion forming step, the covering portion that does not contain the inhibitory substance is formed.

19. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to claim 17, wherein: In the core forming step, the core is formed without containing the inhibitory substance. In the covering portion forming step, the covering portion containing the inhibitory substance is formed.

20. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to claim 17, wherein: In the core forming step, the core containing the inhibitory substance is formed. In the covering portion forming step, the covering portion containing the inhibitory substance is formed.

21. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein: In the granular body forming step, the granular body containing organic matter as a main material is formed.

22. The method for producing an excrement disposal material according to claim 21, wherein: In the granular body forming step, the granular body composed only of organic matter is formed.

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