Biochars for use with animals

• US 9,980,912 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carbon Technology Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Cool Planet Energy Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Belcher, Richard Wilson, Bontchev, Ranko Panayotov, Kim, Han Suk, Butler, Gregory Dean, Buege, Brian, MacKay, Juliette
• Primary Examiner(s): LANGEL, WAYNE A
• Application Number:
  US15/419,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20170196812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/18 of live microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/10 Organic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/142 Amino acids; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/158 Fatty acids; Fats; Products containing oils or fats
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/163 Sugars; Polysaccharides
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/174 Vitamins
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/189 Enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/30 Oligoelements
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 40/00 Shaping or working-up of animal feeding-stuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 40/30 by encapsulating; by coating
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/10 for ruminants
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/20 for horses
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/30 for swines
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/75 for poultry
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 50/80 for aquatic animals, e.g. fish, crustaceans or molluscs
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/44 Elemental carbon, e.g. charcoal, carbon black
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/02 Inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0056 Mouth soluble or dispersible forms; Suckable, eatable, chewable coherent forms; Forms rapidly disintegrating in the mouth; Lozenges; Lollipops; Bite capsules; Baked products; Baits or other oral forms for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/1611 Inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/167 with an outer layer or coating comprising drug; with chemically bound drugs or non-active substances on their surface with further drug-free outer coating A61K9/5073
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/1682 : Processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/5036 : Polysaccharides, e.g. gums, alginate; Cyclodextrin
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/07 : Steam
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/012 : characterised by being in a special form, e.g. gels, emulsions A61L9/048 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/014 : containing sorbent material, e.g. activated carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C05B 17/00 : Other phosphatic fertilisers, e.g. soft rock phosphates, bone meal
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 5/00 : Fertilisers containing other nitrates
• CPC Class Codes: C05D 9/00 : Other inorganic fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 17/10 : Addition or removal of substances other than water or air to or from the material during the treatment for activating or stimulating the treatment C05F17/20
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 3/80 : Soil conditioners
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 17/00 : Soil-conditioning materials or soil-stabilising materials specially adapted for boreholes or wells C09K8/00; fertilisers C05; consolidating by placing solidifying or pore-filling substances in the soil E02D3/12
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/40 : Bio-organic fraction processing; Production of fertilisers from the organic fraction of waste or refuse

Abstract

Biochars and methods for treating biochars are provided that are useful in various applications, including, but not limited to, applications related to the raising, care, maintenance, disease prevention, disease treatment and odor control of animals.

Claims

1. A method for incorporating an agent into bio-char for use in an animal application, the method comprising the steps of:

treating biochar to clean the pores of the biochar of certain residual organic or inorganic compounds unsuitable for animal digestion, treating the biochar to introduce an agent into the pores of the biochar, where the agent introduced is beneficial for consumption by animals, and coating the biochar with a material to control the release of the agent.

2. The method of claim 1 where the agent is one or more of the following:

a nutrient, a vitamin, a drug, a microbe, or a supplement.

3. The method of claim 1 where the residual organic or inorganic compound is a dioxin.

4. The method of claim 3 where the treated biochar has no detectible dioxins unsuitable for animal digestion.

5. The method of claim 1 where the treatment of the biochar also adjusts the pH of the biochar to be at a level beneficial for animal consumption.

6. A composition of matter, comprising:

bio-char having outer surfaces and pores extending into the bio-char from the outer surfaces, the pores collectively having a total surface area; and

an agent deposited within the pores to a depth of at least approximately 10-20 microns, where the agent is a microbe and where the biochar is coated with a material to control the release of the microbe.

7. The composition of claim 6 where the coating makes the surface of the biochar smoother than the surface without the coating.

8. The composition of the claim 6 where the coating is a starch.

9. A method for infusing biochar with microbes, the method comprising the steps of treating bio-char having outer surfaces and pores extending into the bio-char from the outer surfaces, the pores collectively having a total surface area, where treatment causes the deposit of an additive within the pores of the biochar to a depth of at least approximately 10-20 microns and where the additive is a microbe, and coating the biochar with a material to control the release of the microbe.

10. The method of claim 9 where the biochar is coated with a material that makes the surface of the biochar smoother than the surface of the biochar without the coating.

11. The composition of the claim 9 where the biochar is coated with a starch.

12. A biochar prepared for animal consumption, the biochar including an additive that is beneficial for animal consumption and promotes the health of the animal, the additive selected from the group consisting of:

water, water solutions of salts, inorganic liquids of different polarities, organic liquids of different polarities, liquid organic compounds, combinations of organic compounds and solvents, vitamins, supplements, medications, nutrients, minerals, oils, amino acids, fatty acids, supercritical liquids, growth promotants, proteins, enzymes, phytogenics, carbohydrates, antimicrobial additives, sensory enhancers, microbial additives and bacteria; and

where the biochar is coated with a material to control the release of the additive.

13. The biochar of claim 12 where the additive is infused in at least part of the pores of the biochar.

14. The biochar of claim 13 where the additive is infused into at least part of the pores of the biochar by placing the additive in a treating solution, adding the treating solution to a tank holding the biochar and by either pulling a vacuum on the tank or applying positive pressure on the contents of the tank.

15. The biochar of claim 13 where the additive is infused into the pores of the biochar by adding a surfactant to a liquid solution containing the additive and submerging the biochar in the liquid solution.

16. The biochar of claim 13 where the additive is infused into the pores by using ultrasonic treatment.

17. The biochar of claim 12 where the biochar has been treated to clean the pores of the biochar of certain residual organic or inorganic compounds unsuitable for animal digestion.