KR102850142B1 - Cat litter composition with enhanced adsorption and method for preparing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a cat litter composition comprising at least one of a silica powder and a calcium carbonate powder, starch, gluten, alkaline water, and a gelling agent, and a method for producing the same.

Description

Cat litter composition with enhanced adsorption and method for preparing the same

The present invention relates to a cat litter composition comprising at least one of a silica powder and a calcium carbonate powder, and starch, gluten, alkaline water, and a gelling agent, and a method for producing the same.

A variety of pets are kept in homes, businesses, zoos, and farms. In particular, small and medium-sized animals such as cats, dogs, hamsters, hedgehogs, and rabbits are increasingly recognized as family members and lifelong companions, transcending the concept of mere animals. The number of people with pets is expected to continue to increase, not only domestically but also globally. Just like people, raising small and medium-sized animals such as cats, dogs, hamsters, hedgehogs, and rabbits requires housing, food, and other tools. Food and animal enclosures are widely available and used in various forms, depending on the animal's characteristics.

While dogs were traditionally the dominant pet, the cat market has recently expanded. Modern people increasingly view cats as family members and companions, leading to the development and use of a diverse range of cat products. Cat cages are not simply a place to confine or sleep; they must also be equipped with amenities such as a litter box, feeding area, sleeping area, and play area to ensure a hygienic and clean environment for cats.

Cats, unlike other pets, have a tendency to bury their excrement in sand when urinating or defecating. Therefore, sand (also known as cat litter) is essential for this process, and without it, proper defecation becomes difficult. Therefore, a variety of cat litter and toilet products have been developed and used.

Depending on how they are used, these cat litters are broadly classified into absorbent sand and clumping sand.

The above absorbent sand is a product that has the function of absorbing cat waste, especially urine. Representative absorbent sands are made using silica, which is used as a desiccant, or organic materials such as paper sand, corn, wood, and cassava. This absorbent sand has excellent moisture absorption and thus excellent cat urine absorption. However, it has almost no coagulation power, so it does not clump together in a solid form, which causes contamination. In addition, the surface hardness is weak, so it breaks easily, which can injure cats' paws, and the dust generated by the sand can cause desertification and pollute indoor air. In addition, there is a problem that mold can grow quickly, which can cause respiratory diseases.

The above coagulated sand is primarily made from crushed sodium bentonite mined from mines. This sodium bentonite sand is the most widely used due to its excellent cohesiveness and its inorganic nature, making it resistant to mold growth. However, sodium bentonite is imported entirely from China or the United States, making it expensive. Furthermore, because the mineral is mined and crushed into small particles, it generates significant dust and has a sharp surface, which can irritate and cause injury when in contact with a cat's skin.

Therefore, there is a need for a cat litter composition similar to natural soil or sand that quickly absorbs excrement, forms aggregates, is easy to dispose of, is resistant to mold growth, and has improved deodorizing properties.

Domestic Patent No. 10-2274193

The problem to be solved by the present invention relates to a cat litter composition having rapid cohesion by including at least one of a silica-based powder and a calcium carbonate-based powder and starch, gluten, alkaline water, and a gelling agent in a certain ratio, thereby simplifying the disposal of excrement and having a deodorizing effect and a respiratory disease prevention effect, and a method for producing the same.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a cat litter composition comprising at least one of a silica-based powder and a calcium carbonate-based powder, starch, gluten, alkaline water, and a gelling agent, and a method for producing the same.

According to the cat litter composition and the method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention, only cat feces or contaminants can be selectively removed by rapidly coagulating cat feces or contaminants to form aggregates, and a cat litter composition and a method for manufacturing the same can be provided that does not pollute indoor air, removes odors, and does not cause skin or respiratory diseases.

Figure 1 (a) shows an ammonia deodorization experiment, and (b) is a graph showing the results of the deodorization experiment.
Figure 2 shows the chemical structure of carboxymethyl cellulose.
Figure 3 shows the chemical structure of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.
Figure 4 shows the fixation reaction mechanism of alkali salt.
Figure 5 shows the results of comparing the resistance evaluations of the fungi Cladosporium halotolerans, Sclerostagonospora cycadis, and Aspergillus versicolor.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to specific embodiments, but rather encompasses various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention. In the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

In this document, the expressions “has”, “may have”, “includes”, or “may include” indicate the presence of a feature (e.g., a number, function, operation, or component such as a part), but do not exclude the presence of additional features.

In this document, the expressions "A or B," "at least one of A and/or B," or "one or more of A and/or B" can include all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, "A or B," "at least one of A and B," or "at least one of A or B" can all refer to cases where (1) at least one A is included, (2) at least one B is included, or (3) at least one A and at least one B are included.

The expression "configured to" as used herein can be used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for", "having the capacity to", "designed to", "adapted to", "made to", or "capable of". The term "configured to" does not necessarily mean "specifically designed to".

The terms used in this document are used only to describe specific embodiments and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. The singular expression may include the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art described in this document. Terms defined in general dictionaries among the terms used in this document may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this document. In some cases, even if a term is defined in this document, it cannot be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of this document.

The embodiments disclosed in this document are presented for the purpose of explaining and understanding the disclosed technical content and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of this document should be interpreted to include all modifications or various other embodiments based on the technical concept of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. Prior to this, it should be noted that the terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings. Based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of a term to best explain his or her invention, they should be interpreted in a way that aligns with the technical spirit of the present invention.

Accordingly, the configurations of the embodiments described in this specification are only some of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

Throughout the specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise stated.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

A cat litter composition according to one embodiment of the present invention is a cat litter composition comprising at least one of a silica-based powder and a calcium carbonate-based powder, starch, gluten, alkaline water, and a gelling agent. Each component is described in detail below.

The above silicic acid powder refers to a collection of compounds mixed with silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen, and its chemical formula is [SiO _x (OH) _4-2x ] _n . The above silicic acid commonly refers to orthosilicic acid H ₄ SiO ₄ , but it is also sometimes referred to as including metasilicic acid H ₂ SiO , mesodisilicate H ₂ Si ₃ O ₈ , mesotrisilicate H ₆ Si ₄ O ₁ , and mesotetrasilicic acid H ₄ Si ₃ O ₈ 1 . Naturally occurring opal SiO ₂ ·nH ₂ O is a secondary mineral that occurs in the pores of granite, and is also produced as silicic acid, which is substituted for the fibers of trees (silicified wood), and is a sediment of hot springs. An artificial silicic acid gel containing 2 to 10% moisture is called silica gel, and has strong adsorption power and can be used for various purposes. These silica powders can improve the dispersibility of the cat litter composition, thereby increasing its reactivity and causing it to become viscous when in contact with moisture in the feces, thereby inducing the formation of aggregates in the feces.

The above calcium carbonate powder is a collection of ionic compounds composed of calcium ions (Ca ²⁺ ) and carbonate ions (CO ₃ ^2- ), which has the effect of inhibiting bacterial growth and can increase the hardness of the cat litter composition. The above calcium carbonate powder may include at least one of light calcium carbonate powder and heavy calcium carbonate powder.

The above calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ) is the main component of rocks and exists in crystalline form, with calcite and aragonite accounting for the majority. Calcium carbonate can be extracted from rocks or manufactured through chemical reactions. Calcium carbonate has excellent bactericidal effects against Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus, and has an excellent deodorizing effect. Heavy calcium carbonate refers to particulate matter obtained from natural sources such as limestone, marble, or chalk, which has been processed in wet or dry grinding steps such as crushing or crushing, and optionally undergoes additional steps such as screening or fractionation using a cyclone or classifier. Precipitated calcium carbonate is a synthetic material generally obtained by precipitation following the reaction of carbon dioxide and limestone in an aqueous environment, or by precipitation of a source of calcium and carbonate ions in water. Precipitated calcium carbonate exists in three main crystalline forms: aragonite, vaterite, and calcite, and there are various polymorphs for each of these crystalline forms. By mixing the above heavy calcium carbonate and light calcium carbonate and using them in powder form, a cat litter composition having excellent water permeability and absorbency, which does not react with moisture, and which inhibits bacterial growth can be manufactured.

The particle size of the above silicic acid powder or calcium carbonate powder may be 1.0 to 3.0 mm. Preferably, the particle size of the above silicic acid powder or calcium carbonate powder may be 1.2 to 2.5 mm. If the particle size of the above silicic acid powder or calcium carbonate powder is less than the above numerical range, it may be difficult to use it as cat litter because the particle size is too small and a lot of dust is generated. If the particle size exceeds the above numerical range, the number of particles having an angular shape increases, which may result in a decrease in tactile sensation and a large weight, which may result in a decrease in binding strength with the adsorbent.

The above starch, when in contact with moisture in cat feces, has improved viscosity, and can physically bind silica-based or calcium carbide-based powders to the feces, and after drying, can quickly coagulate to induce the feces into separate aggregates.

The above starch may include at least one selected from the group consisting of corn starch, waxy corn starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, wheat starch, and alpha starches thereof.

The above corn starch, waxy corn starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, wheat starch and their alpha starches are starches obtained from natural substances such as grains, and can improve properties such as viscosity, water retention and transparency, and can exhibit high viscosity when in contact with moisture.

The above-mentioned alpha starch component can be easily dispersed even in cold water and can be used without heating. The above-mentioned alpha starch component absorbs moisture and forms a gel, so it can absorb the moisture of excrement. Through this absorption, the silica-based or calcium carbide-based powder can be easily physically combined with the excrement to form aggregates, facilitating the subsequent treatment of the excrement.

Preferably, the starch may include at least one of potato starch or alpha starch of potato starch. The weight ratio of the potato starch and alpha starch of potato starch may be 2 to 4:1. If the potato starch is less than the above numerical range, the viscosity and binding force are reduced, making it difficult to properly form an aggregate, and if the potato starch is more than the above numerical range, the viscosity becomes strong, making it difficult to easily fall off the cat's paw or fur, which may rather pollute the indoor environment.

The above-mentioned gluten has the property of maintaining viscosity even when in contact with moisture and elasticity even when the moisture is removed, thereby maintaining the soft texture of the cat litter composition. Furthermore, the gluten's ability to maintain elasticity after moisture is removed prevents the breakage of the coagulated feces, facilitating subsequent disposal and preventing contamination.

The above alkaline water is water with an acidity of less than pH 10, and can minimize irritation when the cat's skin comes into contact by inducing the pH of the cat litter composition to be slightly acidic or neutral.

The above gelling agent forms a gel when mixed with a solvent (e.g., an aqueous solvent). The gelling agent can easily permeate and absorb liquid components and quickly solidify excrement, thereby facilitating the easy removal of the solidified excrement along with the powder.

The gelling agent may include at least one selected from the group consisting of methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, methyl hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and hydroxypropyl cellulose. Preferably, the gelling agent may include at least one of carboxymethylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. The carboxymethylcellulose can suppress the growth of mold and prevent decay, thereby suppressing secondary contamination even when coagulated feces are left for a long time. The hydroxypropyl methylcellulose increases in volume and increases in viscosity upon contact with moisture, thereby enabling the silica-based powder or calcium carbonate-based powder to coagulate well in the feces, thereby dispersing the components of the cat litter composition and improving reactivity.

The weight ratio of the above starch, gluten, alkaline water, and gelling agent may be 1: 0.15 to 0.25: 0.22 to 0.27: 0.02 to 0.06. If the gluten is less than the above numerical range, it may not be able to maintain high viscosity even when in contact with moisture, and if the above numerical range is exceeded, it may not be easy to dry the silica-based or calcium carbide-based powder coagulated with the excrement, which may cause contamination. The alkaline water must be included within the above numerical range to maintain the pH of the cat litter composition at slightly acidic or neutral (pH 5.0 to 6.5) and minimize irritation to the cat's skin. If the above gelling agent is below the above numerical range, it may not be able to suppress the growth or decay of mold, which may cause secondary contamination. If it exceeds the above numerical range, the dispersibility of the cat litter composition may be weakened, and the fixation reaction of the alkali salt may be weakened, which may cause the compound that generates the odor to not be fixed to the calcium carbonate, which may result in a weakening of the deodorizing performance.

The above cat litter composition can be manufactured into a granular form through a drying process. The above-mentioned modified starch refers to a compound composed of a combination of starch, gluten, alkaline water, and a gelling agent.

The weight ratio of the above-mentioned binding starch modified substance and at least one of the silicic acid-based powder and the calcium carbonate-based powder may be 1:12 to 18. Preferably, the weight ratio may be 1:14 to 17. If the weight ratio of at least one of the silicic acid-based powder and the calcium carbonate-based powder is below the above numerical range, the sterilizing effect and deodorizing effect of the cat litter composition may be impaired, and if the weight ratio exceeds the above numerical range, the cohesive force may be weakened.

The weight parts for each of the above components are as follows.

Based on the weight part of the modified starch binder composed of the above combination of starch, gluten, alkaline water, and gelling agent, at least one of the silicic acid-based powder and the calcium carbonate-based powder may be included in an amount of 12 to 18 weight parts. If the content of the powder is less than the above numerical range, the sterilizing effect and deodorizing effect of the cat litter composition may be impaired, and if it exceeds the above numerical range, the viscosity may be relatively weak, thereby weakening the cohesive force.

The above starch, gluten, alkaline water, and gelling agent may be included in an amount of 10 to 20 parts by weight of gluten, 15 to 25 parts by weight of alkaline water, and 1 to 10 parts by weight of gelling agent based on 60 to 80 parts by weight of starch. If the content of the gluten is less than the above numerical range, it may not be able to maintain high viscosity even when in contact with moisture, and if it exceeds the above numerical range, it may not be easy to dry the silica-based or calcium carbide-based powder coagulated with the excrement, which may cause contamination. The content of the alkaline water must be included within the above numerical range so that the pH of the cat litter composition can be maintained at slightly acidic or neutral (pH 5.0 to 6.5) and irritation to the cat's skin can be minimized. If the content of the above gelling agent is below the above numerical range, it may not be able to suppress the growth or decay of mold, which may cause secondary contamination. If it exceeds the above numerical range, the dispersibility of the cat litter composition may be weakened, and the fixation reaction of the alkali salt may be weakened, which may cause the compound that generates the odor to not be fixed to the calcium carbonate, which may result in a weakening of the deodorizing performance.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail through examples. These examples are intended solely to illustrate the present invention more specifically, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited by these examples, in accordance with the gist of the present invention.

Example

A binding starch modified substance was formed by mixing 70 g of potato starch, 15 g of gluten, 17 g of alkaline water, 2 g of carboxymethylcellulose, and 2 g of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

Calcium carbonate powder having a particle size between 1.2 mm and 2.5 mm was selected using a circular vibrating classifier at a phase angle of 90°. 1,590 g of the calcium carbonate powder and the modified binding starch were mixed to prepare a cat litter composition.

Experimental Example 1

Evaluation of ammonia deodorizing performance of cat litter compositions

In order to evaluate the deodorizing performance of the cat litter composition manufactured according to the above example, 10 g of the cat litter composition of the example, 10 g of each of wood-based cat litter (Comparative Example 1), bentonite cat litter (Comparative Example 2), cassava cat litter (Comparative Example 3), and soybean cat litter (Comparative Example 4) were placed in a sealed chamber, and ammonia, an odorous gas, was injected at a concentration (1000 ppm) and a low concentration (100 ppm), respectively, and measurements were made. After exposure for a certain period of time (1 hour), the odorous gas remaining in the chamber was measured using the detector tube method (KS L 3333) to compare the deodorizing degrees, which are shown in Tables 1 and 2 (see Fig. 1).

Deodorization efficiency measured at high concentration of ammonia (1000 ppm) Ammonia concentration before reaction (1000 ppm) Ammonia concentration (ppm) after 1 hour Deodorization efficiency (%) Example 1 10 99 Comparative Example 1 20 98 Comparative Example 2 40 96 Comparative Example 3 200 80 Comparative Example 4 250 75

Deodorization efficiency measured at low concentration of ammonia (100 ppm) Ammonia concentration before reaction (1000 ppm) Ammonia concentration (ppm) after 1 hour Deodorization efficiency (%) Example 2 98 Comparative Example 1 5 95 Comparative Example 2 10 90 Comparative Example 3 40 60 Comparative Example 4 50 50

The cat litter composition according to the embodiment includes carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, which are polymers having carboxyl terminal groups, and these carboxyl terminal groups fix malodorous compounds to calcium carbonate through an alkali salt fixation reaction mechanism (see Fig. 4). Thus, the cat litter composition according to the embodiment has excellent deodorizing performance even in the presence of a high concentration of malodorous components due to the adsorption performance of calcium carbonate and the polymers having carboxyl terminal groups, carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

Experimental Example 2

Evaluation of fungal resistance of cat litter compositions

In order to compare and analyze the fungal resistance of the cat litter composition according to the examples, it was evaluated based on ASTM G21-96 (Standard Practice for Detering Resistance of Synthetic Polymer Materials to Fungi). Commercially available wood-based cat litter (Comparative Example 1), bentonite cat litter (Comparative Example 2), cassava cat litter (Comparative Example 3), soybean curd cat litter (Comparative Example 4) and the cat litter composition according to the examples were ground and added to the medium at 5%, and three types of indoor mold were inoculated and the growth of each mold was determined (Cladosporium halotolerans, Sclerostagonospora cycadis, and Aspergillus versicolor). In Comparative Examples 1, 3, and 4, the growth of all three types of mold was confirmed. On the other hand, in the case of the examples, the growth of mold was suppressed (see Fig. 5).

Claims (5)

In the cat litter composition,
Containing at least one powder of silica powder or calcium carbonate powder and a modified starch binder,
The above-mentioned combined starch modified substance and at least one of the silica powder and the calcium carbonate powder are included in a weight ratio of 1:12 to 18,
The above-mentioned binding starch modified substance comprises starch, gluten, alkaline water and gelling agent in a weight ratio of 1:0.15 to 0.25:0.22 to 0.27:0.02 to 0.06,
The above starch comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of tapioca starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, wheat starch and alpha starch thereof,
A cat litter composition characterized in that the pH of the cat litter composition is 5 to 6.5.
delete In claim 1,
A cat litter composition wherein the gelling agent comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, methyl hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and hydroxypropylcellulose.
delete A method for manufacturing a cat litter composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3.