Excrement treatment material and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide: an excreta treatment material in which urine hardly remains on the surfaces of granular bodies; and a method for producing same.SOLUTION: An excreta treatment material 1 comprises a plurality of granular bodies 10 having hydrophobicity. The plurality of granular bodies 10 include granular bodies 12 and granular bodies 14. The granular bodies 14 have a lower hydrophobic rate than the granular bodies 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] An example of a conventional excrement treatment material is that described in Patent Document 1. The excrement treatment material described in this document is composed of a plurality of hydrophobic (water-repellent) granules, and is laid in an animal litter box. This litter box is divided into an upper space and a lower space by a mesh sheet that allows urine to pass through. The hydrophobic granules are disposed in the upper space. An absorbent sheet is disposed in the lower space. When an animal urinates, the urine passes through the gaps between the hydrophobic granules and reaches the lower space through the mesh sheet. The urine that reaches the lower space is absorbed by the absorbent sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-110700 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this way, the hydrophobic granules guide urine downwards in the toilet, thereby preventing the leakage of bad odors from the urine outside the toilet. However, when urine adheres to the hydrophobic granules, the urine tends to remain on the surface of the granules. The urine remaining on the surface of the granules causes the bad odor from the urine to leak outside the toilet.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide an excrement treating material in which urine is less likely to remain on the surface of the granular material, and a method for producing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The excrement treatment material according to the present invention is an excrement treatment material consisting of a plurality of hydrophobic granular bodies, characterized in that the plurality of granular bodies include first granular bodies and second granular bodies having a hydrophobicity rate lower than that of the first granular bodies.

[0007] This excrement treatment material is provided with first and second granular bodies. The hydrophobicity of the second granular bodies is smaller than that of the first granular bodies. By reducing the hydrophobicity of the second granular bodies in this manner, urine is less likely to remain on the surface of the second granular bodies, as well as on the surface of the first granular bodies. This is because urine adhering to the surface of the first granular bodies is absorbed into the second granular bodies surrounding the first granular bodies.

[0008] In addition, the method for manufacturing excrement treatment material according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing excrement treatment material consisting of a plurality of granular bodies having hydrophobicity, and is characterized in that it includes a granular body formation process for forming the plurality of granular bodies, and the granular body formation process includes a first granular body formation process for forming first granular bodies, and a second granular body formation process for forming second granular bodies having a hydrophobicity lower than that of the first granular bodies.

[0009] In this manufacturing method, first and second granules are formed. The hydrophobicity of the second granules is smaller than that of the first granules. By reducing the hydrophobicity of the second granules in this way, urine is less likely to remain on the surface of the second granules in the manufactured excrement treatment material, and urine is also less likely to remain on the surface of the first granules. This is because urine adhering to the surface of the first granules is absorbed into the second granules surrounding the first granules. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, an excrement treating material in which urine is less likely to remain on the surface of the granular material, and a method for producing the same are realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an excrement treating material according to the present invention. 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 an excrement treatment material according to the present invention. The excrement treatment material 1 is an excrement treatment material used to treat excrement (mainly urine). The excrement treatment material 1 may be an animal excrement treatment material used to treat excrement from animals such as cats and dogs, or a human excrement treatment material used to treat human excrement.

[0014] The excrement treatment material 1 is made up of a plurality of granular materials 10 for treating excrement. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of granular materials 10" refers to all of the granular materials 10 that make up the excrement treatment material 1. The excrement treatment material 1 is used, for example, in a two-tiered toilet (system toilet) that is divided into an upper space and a lower space by a partition member having holes that allow urine to pass through. In this case, the excrement treatment material 1 is used with a plurality of granular materials 10 laid in the upper space (on the partition member) of the system toilet.

[0015] Each granule 10 is hydrophobic. That is, each granule 10 has the property of not absorbing any liquids, such as urine, or absorbing very little, if any. For a granule 10 to be considered hydrophobic, the hydrophobicity measured by the following test must be 60% or more. First, 50 g of the granule 10 (sample) is placed on a sieve with an inner diameter of 10 cm and a 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 hydrophobicity is determined as the ratio of the measured amount of water to the amount of water dripped (30 ml). That is, if the amount of water in the beaker is 18 ml or more, the hydrophobicity is 60% or more, and the granule 10 is considered to be hydrophobic.

[0016] Each granule 10 is granular. Examples of the granular shape include a sphere, a cylinder, and an ellipsoid. Each granule 10 is made of uncoated granulated material. The particle size of each granule 10 is, for example, 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. Here, the particle size of a granule 10 is defined as the diameter of the smallest sphere that can contain the granule 10. Each granule 10 is made primarily of an organic material. Here, the "primary material" of a granule 10 refers to the material that accounts for the largest weight percentage of the granule 10 among one or more materials that make up the granule 10. Examples of such organic materials include paper, used tea leaves, plastics, and soybean lees. Each granule 10 may be made solely of organic material, or may be made of both organic and inorganic materials.

[0017] Papers refer to materials primarily composed of pulp. Examples of papers include ordinary paper (paper dust), PVC wallpaper fractions, photographic paper, release paper, fluff pulp, papermaking sludge, and pulp sludge. PVC wallpaper fractions are obtained by removing a portion of the polyvinyl chloride from PVC wallpaper containing paper and PVC. Examples of plastics include ordinary plastics, aluminum vapor-deposited film, and disposable diaper fractions (plastics obtained by classifying disposable diapers). Dried bean curd refuse is preferred. These materials may or may not be subjected to a hydrophobic (water-repellent) treatment.

[0018] Each granule 10 may be made of only one material, or two or more materials. In the former case, the material making up the granule 10 is only the main material described above. In the latter case, the granule 10 is made up of a mixture of the main material and other materials. Examples of other materials include gypsum or baking soda. Adding gypsum or baking soda can increase the hydrophobicity of the granule 10. The amount of gypsum or baking soda is, for example, 5% by weight or more and less than 50% by weight of the entire granule 10. Each granule 10 does not contain an adhesive material.

[0019] The plurality of granular materials 10 include granular materials 12 (first granular materials) and granular materials 14 (second granular materials). The granular materials 14 have a lower hydrophobicity than the granular materials 12. When the hydrophobicity of the granular materials 12 is A% and the hydrophobicity of the granular materials 14 is B%, it is preferable that (AB)≧10, and more preferably (AB)≧20, with the proviso that (AB)≦40. The hydrophobicity of the granular materials 12 is, for example, 80% or more and 100% or less. The hydrophobicity of the granular materials 14 is, for example, 60% or more and 80% or less.

[0020] A plurality of granular materials 12 and a plurality of granular materials 14 are provided. In the excrement treatment material 1, these granular materials 12 and 14 are mixed. The number of granular materials 14 is preferably 30% to 70% of the total number of granular materials 12 and 14, and more preferably 40% to 60%. The particle size of the granular materials 14 may be the same as or different from the particle size of the granular materials 12. Furthermore, the granular materials 14 may be made of a material having the same composition as the granular materials 12, or may be made of a material having a different composition from the granular materials 12. The plurality of granular materials 10 may include only the granular materials 12 and 14, or may include granular materials other than the granular materials 12 or 14.

[0021] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the excrement treating material 1 will be described as an embodiment of the method for manufacturing the excrement treating material according to the present invention. This manufacturing method includes a granular material forming step.

[0022] The granule formation process is a process for forming a plurality of granules 10. The granule formation process includes first and second granule formation processes. The first granule formation process is a process for forming granules 12. In this process, a first granulation material (a material constituting the granules 12) is granulated using a granulation device to form a plurality of granules that become the granules 12. As the granulation device, for example, an extrusion granulator can be used. The granules may be subjected to a hydrophobic treatment as needed. The hydrophobic treatment can be performed, for example, by coating the surface of the granules with a hydrophobic agent (water repellent agent). Prior to granulation, the first granule material is subjected to pretreatment such as pulverization, kneading, and hydration as needed. After granulation, posttreatment such as sieving (sizing), drying, etc. is performed as needed. As a result, a plurality of granules 12 are obtained.

[0023] The second granule formation step is a step of forming granules 14. In this step, a granulation device is used to granulate the second granulation material (the material that constitutes granules 14) to form a plurality of granules that will become granules 14. The granules may be subjected to a hydrophobic treatment as needed. Prior to granulation, the second granulation material is subjected to pretreatment such as pulverization, kneading, and addition of water as needed. After granulation, posttreatment such as sieving (sizing) and drying is performed as needed. This results in a plurality of granules 14.

[0024] In the second granule formation step, the granules 14 are formed so that the hydrophobicity of the granules 14 is smaller than that of the granules 12. For example, by using a material that is less hydrophobic (water-repellent) than the first granule material as the second granulation material, the hydrophobicity of the granules 14 can be made smaller than that of the granules 12. When a material that increases hydrophobicity (for example, gypsum or baking soda) is used, the hydrophobicity of the granules 14 can also be made smaller than that of the granules 12 by making the content of the material different between the granules 12 and the granules 14. Specifically, the weight ratio of the material in the granules 14 can be made smaller than the weight ratio of the material in the granules 12.

[0025] Furthermore, the hydrophobicity of granules 14 can be made smaller than that of granules 12 by reducing the pressure applied to the second granulation material during granulation of granules 14 compared to the pressure applied to the first granulation material during granulation of granules 12. This is because reducing the pressure during granulation increases the gaps on the surface and inside of the granules, making it easier for water to penetrate into the granules. The pressure during granulation can be adjusted, for example, by changing the thickness of the die of the granulation device. In other words, the thinner the die, the lower the pressure during granulation.

[0026] The order in which the first and second granular body forming steps are performed is arbitrary. That is, both steps may be performed simultaneously in parallel, or one step may be performed before the other.

[0027] Thereafter, the granules 12 formed in the first granule formation step are mixed with the granules 14 formed in the second granule formation step. At this time, it is preferable to mix the granules 12 and the granules 14 so that the number of granules 14 is 30% to 70% of the total number of the granules 12 and the granules 14. It is more preferable to mix the granules 12 and the granules 14 so that the number of granules 14 is 40% to 60% of the total number of the granules 12 and the granules 14. As a result of the above, an excrement treatment material 1 consisting of a plurality of granules 10 including the granules 12 and the granules 14 is obtained.

[0028] The effects of this embodiment will be explained. In this embodiment, granules 12 and 14 are formed. The hydrophobicity of the granules 14 is smaller than that of the granules 12. By reducing the hydrophobicity of the granules 14 in this way, urine is less likely to remain on the surfaces of the granules 14, as well as on the surfaces of the granules 12, in the excrement treatment material 1. This is because urine adhering to the surfaces of the granules 12 is absorbed into the granules 14 surrounding the granules 12. Therefore, an excrement treatment material 1 in which urine is less likely to remain on the surfaces of the granules 10, and a method for manufacturing the same, have been realized.

[0029] In addition, both the granules 12 and the granules 14 are hydrophobic. By using hydrophobic granules for both the granules 12 and the granules 14 in this way, the water permeability (ability to guide urine downward in the toilet) of the excrement treatment material 1 as a whole can be increased compared to when non-hydrophobic (water-absorbent) granules are used for either the granules 12 or the granules 14.

[0030] The lower the hydrophobicity (B%) of the granules 14, the less likely urine will remain on the surfaces of the granules 12 and 14. On the other hand, the higher the hydrophobicity (A%) of the granules 12, the more likely it is that the water permeability of the entire excrement treatment material 1 will be increased. From this perspective, it is preferable that (AB)≧10, and more preferably that (AB)≧20.

[0031] To prevent urine from remaining on the surfaces of the granular materials 12 and 14, it is advantageous for the proportion of the granular materials 14 to be large in the entire excrement treatment material 1. From this perspective, the number of the granular materials 14 is preferably 30% or more, and more preferably 40% or more, of the total number of the granular materials 12 and 14. On the other hand, if the proportion of the granular materials 14 is too large, the water permeability of the excrement treatment material 1 as a whole may be insufficient. From this perspective, the number of the granular materials 14 is preferably 70% or less, and more preferably 60% or less, of the total number of the granular materials 12 and 14.

[0032] However, if the particle sizes of the granules 12 and 14 are different, when multiple granules 10 are laid in a toilet, the larger granules tend to be concentrated in the upper layer and the smaller granules tend to be concentrated in the lower layer. This is because the smaller granules tend to move downward through the gaps between the larger granules. In contrast, if the particle sizes of the granules 12 and 14 are the same, the granules 12 and 14 are more likely to be uniformly distributed, which is advantageous for arranging the granules 12 and 14 adjacent to each other. By arranging the granules 12 and 14 adjacent to each other in this way, urine adhering to the surface of the granules 12 is more easily absorbed by the granules 14.

[0033] When the granules 12 and 14 are made of materials with the same composition, the material of the granules 12 (first granulation material) can be the same as the material of the granules 14 (second granulation material), which contributes to reducing the manufacturing cost of the excrement treating material 1.

[0034] When the granules 12 and 14 are made of materials with different compositions, it is possible to use a material with relatively high hydrophobicity as the first granulation material and a material with relatively low hydrophobicity as the second granulation material, which makes it easy to achieve granules 12 and 14 with different hydrophobicities.

[0035] Each granule 10 does not contain an adhesive material. This reduces the stickiness of the surface of the granules 10. This makes it difficult for the granules 10 to stick to the paws of an animal while it is defecating. There is a problem that the granules 10 that stick to the animal's paws end up scattering outside the litter box after excretion. By reducing the stickiness of the surface of the granules 10, this problem can be reduced.

[0036] Each granule 10 is made of uncoated granules. This eliminates the need for a coating material (a material used to coat the granules) and a coating process (a process of coating the granules with a coating material), thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the excrement treatment material 1.

[0037] Each granular body 10 is made primarily of organic matter. This makes it possible to obtain granular bodies 10 suitable for incineration. In this case, the used excrement treatment material 1 can be easily disposed of as combustible waste, improving convenience for users. In particular, when each granular body 10 is made solely of organic matter, it is possible to obtain granular bodies 10 that are even more suitable for incineration.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In the above embodiment, the case where each granule 10 is made of an uncoated granule is exemplified. However, each granule 10 may be made of a granule whose surface is coated entirely or partially.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the case where each granule 10 does not contain an adhesive material has been exemplified. However, each granule 10 may contain an adhesive material. Examples of adhesive materials include water-absorbent polymers, starch, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), and dextrin. Examples of water-absorbent polymers that can be used include acrylic water-absorbent polymers such as sodium polyacrylate.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the case where each of the granules 10 is made mainly of an organic material has been exemplified, but each of the granules 10 may be made mainly of an inorganic material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Excrement treatment materials 10 Granules 12 Granular body (first granular body) 14 Granular body (second granular body)

Claims

1. An excrement treatment material comprising a plurality of hydrophobic granular bodies, The excrement treating material is characterized in that the plurality of granular bodies include first granular bodies and second granular bodies having a hydrophobicity lower than that of the first granular bodies.

2. The excrement treatment material according to claim 1, When the hydrophobicity of the first granular material is A%, and the hydrophobicity of the second granular material is B%, An excrement treatment material in which (A-B) is ≥ 10.

3. The excrement treatment material according to claim 2, An excrement treatment material in which (A-B) is 20 or more.

4. The excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The excrement treating material includes a plurality of first and second granular bodies.

5. The excrement treatment material according to claim 4, The number of the second granular bodies is 30% to 70% of the total number of the first and second granular bodies.

6. The excrement treatment material according to claim 5, The number of the second granular bodies is 40% or more and 60% or less of the total number of the first and second granular bodies.

7. The excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The particle size of the second granular material is equal to the particle size of the first granular material.

8. The excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The second granular material is an excrement treating material made of a material having the same composition as the first granular material.

9. The excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The second granular material is made of a material having a different composition from that of the first granular material.

10. The excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The excrement treating material is made of uncoated granulated material.

11. The excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The excrement treating material does not contain any adhesive material.

12. The excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 1 to 11, Each of the granular bodies is an excrement treatment material whose main material is organic matter.

13. The excrement treatment material according to claim 12, Each of the granular bodies is an excrement treatment material consisting solely of organic matter.

14. A method for producing an excrement treatment material comprising a plurality of hydrophobic granular materials, comprising: a granule forming step of forming the plurality of granules, A method for manufacturing excrement treatment material, characterized in that the granular body forming process includes a first granular body forming process for forming first granular bodies, and a second granular body forming process for forming second granular bodies having a hydrophobicity rate lower than that of the first granular bodies.

15. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, In the second granular material forming step, when the hydrophobicity of the first granular material is A% and the hydrophobicity of the second granular material is B%, the second granular material is formed so that (A-B)≧10.

16. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 15, In the second granular material forming step, the second granular material is formed so that (A-B)≧20.

17. 17. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, In the first granular body forming step, a plurality of the first granular bodies are formed, In the second granular material forming step, a plurality of second granular materials are formed.

18. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 17, In the granular material forming process, the first and second granular materials are mixed so that the number of the second granular materials is 30% or more and 70% or less of the sum of the number of the first and second granular materials.

19. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 18, In the granular material forming process, the first and second granular materials are mixed so that the number of the second granular materials is 40% or more and 60% or less of the sum of the number of the first and second granular materials.

20. 20. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 14 to 19, In the second granular material forming step, the second granular material is formed so that the particle size of the second granular material is equal to the particle size of the first granular material.

21. 21. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, In the second granular material forming step, the second granular material is formed from a material having the same composition as that of the first granular material.

22. 21. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, In the second granular material forming step, the second granular material is formed from a material having a different composition from that of the first granular material.

23. 23. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 14 to 22, In the granule forming step, the plurality of granules are formed from uncoated granules.

24. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 14 to 23, In the granular material forming step, the plurality of granular materials are formed without containing an adhesive material.

25. 25. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to any one of claims 14 to 24, In the granular material forming step, the plurality of granular materials are formed, the main material of which is an organic substance.

26. 26. The method for producing an excrement treatment material according to claim 25, In the granular material forming step, the plurality of granular materials are formed from organic matter alone.

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