Palm Frond Animal Feed Processing for Drought Resilience

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current animal feeds face challenges due to their susceptibility to drought and arid conditions, leading to resource strain and inefficiencies, particularly with crops like alfalfa struggling in hot seasons, while palm fronds, rich in nutrients, are often discarded rather than utilized.

Innovation Solution

Processing and combining palm fronds with palm fruits and nutritional additives like urea or wheat to create a sustainable and nutritious animal feed, which can thrive in hot and dry conditions, serving as a base for various animal feed formulations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional crops like alfalfa are used in animal feed, then the feed provides adequate nutrition, but the crops struggle in hot and dry conditions leading to resource strain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeed reliability in hot and dry conditionsVSAvoiddrought and arid conditions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the botanical source parameter from traditional cool-season crops (alfalfa) to warm-season palm fronds, which naturally adapt to hot and dry conditions. This parameter change enables the feed to maintain nutritional quality in environments where traditional crops fail, resolving the contradiction between feed reliability and drought resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite feed material by combining palm fronds with palm fruits and nutritional additives. This composite approach enhances the nutritional profile while maintaining the drought-resistant characteristics of palm-based materials, achieving both reliability in harsh conditions and adequate nutrition.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If palm fronds are used as animal feed, then the feed is sustainable and nutritious, but the fronds are tough and difficult to process

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenutritional contentVSAvoidprocessing difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary processing actions including chopping, shredding, or grinding the tough palm fronds before combining them with palm fruits and additives. This preliminary mechanical breakdown reduces the toughness and improves palatability and digestibility, making the feed easier to manufacture and administer while preserving nutritional content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines processed palm fronds with palm fruits and nutritional additives to create a composite feed. The palm fruits and additives act as binders and nutritional enhancers that compensate for the toughness of the fronds, creating a palatable and nutritious final product that is easier to process than the fronds alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Loss of substance

If palm fronds are discarded as waste, then processing costs are reduced, but nutritional resources are lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenutrient recoveryVSAvoidprocessing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the previously harmful disposal method (burning or chopping for trash) into a beneficial process by using the same palm fronds as the base material for nutritious animal feed. This transformation recovers valuable nutrients that would otherwise be lost, turning waste into a resource while maintaining economic viability through the use of readily available palm fronds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS11071313B2Palm-based animal feed

Publication Date: 2021.07.27 PALM SILAGE INC

AI summary

Animal feed formed with a base of palm fronds and combined with palm fruit, such as dates, is a sustainable and affordable feed product that can be developed in hot climates. Palm fronds with a desired moisture content are shredded, chopped, and/or ground, and mixed with palm fruit. Additives such as urea can increase the nutritional content. Feeds with palm fronds, palm fruit, and/or additives can serve as a base feed for other components. Palm fronds can also serve as a base feed for other components. Animal feeds with a variety of bases can have palm fruit added. Animal feeds with a variety of bases, including palm fronds, can include a variety of other components added.