Flaked cellulose litter material which can be reused as food or fertilizer

• US 5,195,465 A
• Filed: 08/19/1991
• Issued: 03/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ecosorb International Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Cellulose Corporation
• Inventors: Webb, John L., Kilgore, Robert D., Patil, Shitalprasad N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANAHAN, TODD E
• Application Number:
  US07/746,938
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 119/171, 119/172
• US Class Current: 119/172
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/681 by addition of solid materials for removing an oily layer on water
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 3/32 for absorbing liquids to remove pollution, e.g. oil, gasoline, fat

Abstract

Cellulose flakes and methods for making them; in one aspect the flakes useful as animal litter or bedding; in another aspect such used flakes repelletized for use as litter, food or fertilizer; and in another aspect the flakes or re-pellets having desirable additives added to them.

Claims

1. A method for producing animal litter comprising:

grinding cellulose in sheet form to produce ground cellulose,

reducing the ground cellulose to produce pieces ranging in size in a largest dimension between about one eight and about one fourth of an inch,

conditioning the pieces with water to a water content between about 12% to about 20% by weight,

feeding the conditioned pieces having a density between about four to about seven pounds per cubic foot to a pelletizing machine which produces hot pellets and expels them, the pellets opening up upon drying,

drying the pellets to a water content between about 8% to about 12% by weight, and

flaking the dried pellets to produce a flaked litter whose density ranges between about 15 to 22 pounds per cubic foot.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein in the flaking step the dried pellets are compressed and flattened between dual opposed rollers in a roller mill, increasing their surface area.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the pellets'"'"' surface area is increased by at least about 15%.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the pellets'"'"' surface area is increased by at least about 35%.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising also collecting the flaked litter after it has been used as animal litter and has absorbed animal excrement, and

re-pelletizing the collected litter material to form re-pellets.

6. The method of claim 5 including introducing additives into the re-pellets.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the additives are medicine.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the additives are plant growth enhancers.

9. A re-pellet produced by the method of claim 6.

10. The method of claim 5 comprising also using the re-pellets as fertilizers for plants.

11. The method of claim 5 comprising also adding additional cellulose to the collected flaked material prior to re-pelletizing it.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein about 20% to about 35% additional cellulose is added to the collected flaked material based on the weight of cellulose in the collected flaked material.

13. The method of claim 5 comprising also feeding the re-pellets to at least one animal.

14. A re-pellet produced by the method of claim 5.

15. Flaked litter produced by the method of claim 1.

16. The method of claim 1 comprising also using the flaked material as animal litter.