Water-absorbing treatment material and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a water absorbing treatment material high in safety in the case of accidental eating, and a method of manufacturing the same.SOLUTION: A water absorbing treatment material 1 comprises a plurality of granules 10 having water absorption. Each of the granules 10 is composed predominantly of rice flour.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water-absorbing treatment material that absorbs liquid, and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a conventional water-absorbing treatment material is that described in Patent Document 1. The water-absorbing treatment material described in this document is an animal excrement treatment material consisting of a large number of water-absorbent granules. Each granule is made primarily from crushed bamboo chips made by crushing dried bamboo and bentonite. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-201520 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The water-absorbing treatment material is usually used in the form of a large number of granules laid in a box-shaped toilet. However, animals may accidentally eat the granules laid in the toilet, which can be a factor in damaging the health of the animals.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a water-absorbing treatment material that is highly safe in case of accidental ingestion, and a method for producing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The water-absorbing treatment material according to the present invention comprises a plurality of granular bodies having water-absorbing properties, each of which is made primarily from rice flour.

[0007] This water-absorbing treatment material contains granules whose main ingredient is rice flour. Here, the "main ingredient" refers to the ingredient that makes up the largest weight percentage of each granule among the one or more ingredients that make up each granule. By using rice flour, a food ingredient, as the main ingredient, damage to the animal's health can be minimized even if the animal accidentally ingests the granules.

[0008] In addition, the method for manufacturing a water-absorbing treatment material according to the present invention includes a granular body forming step of forming a plurality of granular bodies having water absorption properties, and in the granular body forming step, the plurality of granular bodies are formed so that each of the granular bodies is made primarily of rice flour.

[0009] This manufacturing method produces granules made primarily from rice flour. By using rice flour, a food material, as the main ingredient, the water-absorbing treatment material after production can minimize damage to the health of animals even if they accidentally ingest the granules. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a water-absorbing treatment material that is highly safe in case of accidental ingestion and a method for producing the same are realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a water-absorbing treatment material according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a granular material 10. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a water-absorbing treatment material according to the present invention. The water-absorbing treatment material 1 is a water-absorbing treatment material that absorbs liquid to be treated, and comprises a plurality of granular materials 10. The particle size of each granular material 10 is, for example, 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. Here, the particle size is defined as the diameter of the smallest sphere that can contain each granular material 10. In this embodiment, the water-absorbing treatment material 1 is an excrement treatment material that absorbs animal excrement (mainly urine) from cats, dogs, and other animals. The water-absorbing treatment material 1 is used, for example, by laying a plurality of granular materials 10 in a box-shaped toilet.

[0014] Each granular material 10 has water absorption. For a granular material 10 to be said to have water absorption, the water absorption rate measured by the following test must be 40% or more. First, 50 g of granular material 10 (sample) is placed on a sieve with an inner diameter of 10 cm and mesh size of 1 mm. An empty beaker is placed below the sieve. Then, 30 ml of water is dripped onto the sample over 10 seconds using a syringe (Terumo 60 ml syringe) with an inner diameter of 3 cm and an inner diameter of 4 mm at the tip. After leaving it for 1 minute, the amount of water in the beaker is measured. The water absorption rate is calculated by subtracting the measured amount of water from the amount of water dripped (30 ml), and the ratio of this value to the amount of water dripped. In other words, if the amount of water in the beaker is 18 ml or less, the water absorption rate is 40% or more, and the granular material 10 can be said to have water absorption.

[0015] Each granule 10 is made primarily of rice flour. That is, among the materials constituting each granule 10, rice flour accounts for the largest weight percentage. The weight percentage of rice flour in each granule 10 is preferably 50% or more, and more preferably 80% or more. The rice flour may be alpha or beta type. Furthermore, each granule 10 may contain two or more types of rice flour. In this case, the "weight percentage of rice flour" is equal to the total weight percentage of all the rice flour contained in each granule 10.

[0016] Each granule 10 is preferably made solely of food materials. In other words, it is preferable that all materials other than rice flour constituting the granule 10 are also food materials. Food materials also include food additives such as coloring agents. It is also preferable that each granule 10 is made solely of organic materials.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing granules 10. Each granule 10 has a core 12 (granules) and a coating 14. The core 12 is granular. Examples of the granular shape include a sphere, a cylinder, and an ellipsoid. The core 12 has the function of absorbing and retaining liquid. The core 12 contains rice flour. The main material of the core 12 is rice flour. Here, the main material of the core 12 refers to the material that accounts for the largest weight percentage of the core 12 among the one or more materials (core materials) that make up the core 12. The core 12 may or may not contain a water-absorbing material other than rice flour. Examples of water-absorbing materials other than rice flour include paper, used tea leaves, plastics, and soybean lees. Of these materials, soybean lees is considered a food material. On the other hand, paper, used tea leaves, and plastics are not considered food materials.

[0018] Papers refer to materials primarily composed of pulp. Examples of papers include ordinary paper, as well as PVC wallpaper fractions (paper obtained by classifying PVC wallpaper), fluff pulp, papermaking sludge, and pulp sludge. Examples of plastics that can be used include disposable diaper fractions (plastics obtained by classifying disposable diapers). The bean curd refuse is preferably dried bean curd refuse.

[0019] The coating 14 covers the core 12. The coating 14 may cover the entire surface of the core 12, or may cover only a portion of the surface of the core 12. The coating 14 has the function of adhering the granular material 10 that has absorbed liquid during use to form a clump (clump-forming function). The coating 14 contains rice flour. The main material of the coating 14 is rice flour. Here, the main material of the coating 14 refers to the material that accounts for the largest weight percentage of the coating 14 out of one or more materials (coating materials) that make up the coating 14. The coating 14 may or may not contain a water-absorbing material other than rice flour.

[0020] The covering portion 14 contains an adhesive material. Examples of adhesive materials include starch, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), dextrin, and water-absorbent polymers. The water-absorbent polymer is, for example, sodium polyacrylate. Among these materials, starch, CMC, PVA, and dextrin are considered food materials. On the other hand, water-absorbent polymers are not considered food materials.

[0021] Next, an example of a method for producing the water-absorbing treatment material 1 will be described as an embodiment of the method for producing the water-absorbing treatment material according to the present invention. This production method includes a granular material forming step.

[0022] The granule forming process is a process for forming a plurality of granules 10. The granule forming process includes a core forming process and a coating forming process. The core forming process is a process for forming a plurality of cores 12. In the core forming process, a granulation device is used to granulate the core material, thereby forming a plurality of cores 12, which are granulated products. As the granulation device, for example, an extrusion granulator can be used. Prior to granulation, the core material is subjected to pretreatment such as pulverization, kneading, and addition of water, as necessary. In this embodiment, rice flour is contained as the main ingredient in the core material, and cores 12 made mainly of rice flour are formed.

[0023] The coating portion forming step is a step of forming the coating portion 14. In this step, a coating device or the like is used to apply a powdery coating material to the surface of each core portion 12, thereby forming the coating portion 14. The coating material can be applied by, for example, sprinkling or spraying. In this embodiment, rice flour is also contained as the main ingredient in the coating material, and the coating portion 14 is formed from rice flour as the main ingredient. Thereafter, post-processing such as sieving (sizing) and drying is performed as necessary. As a result of the above, a water-absorbing treatment material 1 consisting of a plurality of granules 10 is obtained.

[0024] The effects of this embodiment will be explained. In this embodiment, the granules 10 are formed using rice flour as the main material. By using rice flour, a food material, as the main material in this way, the water-absorbent treatment material 1 can minimize damage to the animal's health even if an animal accidentally ingests the granules 10. Therefore, a water-absorbent treatment material 1 that is highly safe in the event of accidental ingestion, and a method for manufacturing the same, have been realized.

[0025] To increase safety in the event of accidental ingestion, it is advantageous to have a larger weight ratio of rice flour in each granule 10. From this perspective, the weight ratio of rice flour in each granule 10 is preferably 50% or more, and more preferably 80% or more.

[0026] Each granule 10 has a multi-layer structure (two-layer structure) consisting of a core 12 and a coating 14. This allows the core 12 and the coating 14 to have different functions. For example, in the present embodiment, the core 12 is primarily responsible for the water absorption and retention function, and the coating 14 is responsible for the clump formation function.

[0027] The covering portion 14 contains an adhesive material, which can impart a lump-forming function to the covering portion 14. However, it is not essential that the covering portion 14 contains an adhesive material.

[0028] Rice flour is contained in both the core 12 and the coating 14. In this case, it is easier to set a larger weight ratio of rice flour in each granule 10 compared to when rice flour is contained in only one of the core 12 or the coating 14.

[0029] When each granule 10 is made of food material only, safety in the event of accidental ingestion can be particularly increased.

[0030] When each granule 10 is made of only organic matter, it is possible to obtain granules 10 that are suitable for incineration. In this case, the used granules 10 can be disposed of as combustible waste, which improves convenience for users.

[0031] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In the above-described embodiment, rice flour is contained in both the core 12 and the coating 14. However, rice flour may be contained in only one of the core 12 or the coating 14. When rice flour is contained only in the core 12, the degree of freedom in selecting the coating material can be increased.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the case where each granule 10 has a multi-layer structure consisting of a core 12 and a coating 14 has been exemplified. However, the provision of the coating 14 is not essential. That is, each granule 10 may have a single-layer structure consisting of only uncoated granules (core 12). In this case, no coating material is required, and the manufacturing cost of the water-absorbing treatment material 1 can be reduced.

[0033] In the above embodiment, each granule 10 may consist essentially of rice flour. Here, "consisting essentially of rice flour" means that each granule 10 may contain additives such as colorings and flavorings, as long as they do not inhibit the water absorption of the granule 10. Even in this case, it is preferable that the weight ratio of the additives in each granule 10 is 1% or less (i.e., the weight ratio of rice flour is 99% or more). In this way, if each granule 10 consists essentially of rice flour, safety in the event of accidental ingestion can be further increased.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the water absorbent treatment material 1 is an excrement treatment material. However, the water absorbent treatment material 1 may be a vomit treatment material that absorbs vomit, or a food waste treatment material that absorbs food waste (moisture contained in food waste). [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1. Water-absorbing treatment material 10 Granules 12 Core (granulated material) 14 Covering part

Claims

1. A plurality of granular bodies having water absorption properties are provided, Each of the granular bodies is made primarily of rice flour, Each of the granular bodies has a granular core and a coating that covers the core, The rice flour is contained in both the core and the coating, A water-absorbing treatment material characterized in that each of the granular bodies consists solely of food material.

2. A plurality of granular bodies having water absorption properties are provided, Each of the granular bodies is made primarily of rice flour, Each of the granular bodies has a granular core and a coating that covers the core, The rice flour is contained in both the core and the coating, A water-absorbing treatment material characterized in that each of the granular bodies is made of only organic matter.

3. The water absorption treatment material according to claim 1 or 2, The weight ratio of the rice flour to each of the granules is 50% or more.

4. The water absorption treatment material according to claim 3, The weight ratio of the rice flour to each of the granules is 80% or more.

5. a granule forming step of forming a plurality of granules having water absorbency, In the granule forming step, the plurality of granules are formed so that each granule is mainly made of rice flour, The granule forming step includes a core forming step of forming a plurality of granular cores containing the rice flour, and a coating forming step of forming a coating containing the rice flour so as to cover each of the cores, A method for producing a water-absorbing treatment material, wherein in the granular material forming step, the plurality of granular materials are formed so that each granular material consists only of food material.

6. a granule forming step of forming a plurality of granules having water absorbency, In the granule forming step, the plurality of granules are formed so that each granule is mainly made of rice flour, The granule forming step includes a core forming step of forming a plurality of granular cores containing the rice flour, and a coating forming step of forming a coating containing the rice flour so as to cover each of the cores, A method for producing a water-absorbing treatment material, wherein in the granular material forming step, the plurality of granular materials are formed so that each granular material is made of only organic matter.

7. In the method for producing the water absorption treatment material according to claim 5 or 6, In the granule forming step, the method for manufacturing a water-absorbing treatment material forms the plurality of granules so that the weight ratio of rice flour in each granule is 50% or more.

8. In the method for producing the water absorption treatment material according to claim 7, In the granule forming step, the method for manufacturing a water-absorbing treatment material forms the plurality of granules so that the weight ratio of rice flour in each granule is 80% or more.

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