US 12,478,034 B2Granted

System and ultrahigh pressure extrusion method for making extruded granular sorbent with post-extrusion cold-processing of extruded granular absorbent for size control

AssigneePioneer Pet Products, LLC

InventorsJohn M. Lipscomb, Omar I. Rodriguez, Chad C. Berge

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Abstract

A method, system and machine for cold processing extruded starch-containing pellets by cold particle size reducing pellets of a size greater than a particle size reduction setting size enabling particle size reduction to be performed without compacting or compression any size reduced particle while doing so without heating them during particle size reduction thereby preserving their pores, internal liquid absorbing voids and starch matrix optimizing granular sorbent performance. Such a method, system and machine is selectively controllable enabling not only control of how many and a ratio of fines produced relative to the final product providing real time control of fines production but also is able to provide particle size distribution control as well. A preferred particle size reduction machine is a roll granulator that breaks larger size pellets into smaller sized particles and/or fines without compressing or compacting them with the spacing between the rolls selectively variably in a manner that regulates how much of different sized particles and/or particles falling within certain size ranges are produced advantageously enabling real time control of particle size distribution to be achieved during extruder line operation.

Claims55

Dependent claims

A method of making extruded granular sorbent comprising:

(a) providing a single screw extruder and a starch-containing admixture comprised of at least 40% starch and having a moisture content of no greater than about 25% by weight;
(b) extruding the starch-containing admixture by (i) subjecting the starch-containing admixture in the single screw extruder to an extrusion pressure of at least 2000 PSI at an extrusion temperature of at least 100° C. for a residency time of no greater than twenty seconds gelatinizing at least some of the starch in the starch-containing admixture in the single screw extruder, at least some of the starch in the starch-containing admixture in the single screw extruder modified into a room-temperature water soluble binder, and (ii) discharging the starch-containing admixture from the single screw extruder as sorbent extrudate comprised of the room-temperature water soluble binder;
(c) cold-processing the sorbent extrudate immediately upon being discharged from the single screw extruder by cooling the sorbent extrudate using air having (i) a temperature less than an initial temperature of the sorbent extrudate when discharged from the extruder, and (ii) a flow rate sufficient to cool the sorbent extrudate immediately upon being discharged from the extruder at a cooling rate of at least 5° C. per second for at least two seconds after discharge of the pellets of the sorbent extrudate from the extruder;
and
wherein, after the cold-processing step, the extruded granular sorbent is comprised of at least a plurality of pairs of pellets of the sorbent extrudate that form an agglutinated mass thereof within five seconds of being wetted with water, the agglutinated mass comprising a clump that is scoopable from a box of pellets within one minute of wetting the at least the plurality of pairs of pellets with water.

2 more elements

A method of making extruded granular sorbent comprising:

(a) providing an extruder and a starch-containing admixture comprised of at least 40% starch and having a moisture content of no greater than about 25% by weight;
(b) extruding the starch-containing admixture by (i) subjecting the starch-containing admixture in the extruder to an extrusion pressure of at least 2000 PSI at an extrusion pressure of at least 100° C. gelatinizing at least some of the starch in the starch-containing admixture in the extruder, at least some of the starch in the starch-containing admixture in the extruder modified into a room-temperature water soluble binder, and at least some of the other starch in the starch-containing admixture in the extruder is modified during the extruding step into an enhanced liquid sorbent starch, and (ii) discharging the starch-containing admixture from the extruder as sorbent extrudate comprised of extruded sorbent pellets containing the room-temperature water soluble binder and the enhanced liquid sorbent starch;
and
(c) cold-processing the extruded sorbent pellets by cooling the extruded pellets immediately upon extrusion from the extruder using air having a temperature of no higher than 37° C. flowing at a flow rate of at least 500 CFM that convectively cools the extruded sorbent pellets immediately upon discharge from the extruder at a pellet cooling rate of at least 7° C. per second for at least two seconds after discharge of the extruded sorbent pellets from the extruder;
and
wherein, after the cold-processing step, the extruded granular sorbent is comprised of at least a plurality of pairs of the extruded sorbent pellets that have a water sorption capacity of at least four times pellet weight and sorb at least four times pellet weight in water within 30 seconds of being wetted with water and form an agglutinated mass thereof comprising a clump that is scoopable from a box of the extruded sorbent pellets within two minutes of wetting the at least the plurality of pairs of extruded sorbent pellets with water and which has a clump compressive crush strength of at least 500 PSI and a clump retention rate of at least 95% when the clump is dried to a moisture content of no greater than about 12% by clump weight.

3 more elements

A method of making extruded granular sorbent comprising:

(a) providing a single screw extruder and a starch-containing admixture comprised of at least 40% starch and having a moisture content of no greater than about 25% by weight;
(b) extruding the starch-containing admixture by (i) subjecting the starch-containing admixture in the single screw extruder to an extrusion pressure of at least 2000 PSI at an extrusion pressure of at least 100° C. for a residency time of no more than twenty seconds gelatinizing at least some of the starch in the starch-containing admixture in the extruder, at least some of the starch in the starch-containing admixture in the extruder physically modified into a room-temperature water soluble binder, and at least some of the other starch in the starch-containing admixture in the extruder is modified during the extruding step into an enhanced liquid sorbent starch, and (ii) discharging the starch-containing admixture from the extruder as sorbent extrudate comprised of extruded sorbent pellets containing the enhanced liquid sorbent starch and at least 5% of the room-temperature water soluble binder by pellet weight;
and
(c) cold-processing the extruded sorbent pellets by cooling and drying the extruded pellets immediately upon extrusion from the single screw extruder using a stream of air having (i) a temperature of at least 37° C. less than an initial temperature of the extruded sorbent pellets at the time of being discharged from the extruder, and (ii) a flow rate of at least 250 CFM that turbulently convectively cools the extruded sorbent pellets immediately upon discharge from the extruder at a pellet cooling rate of at least 5° C. per second for at least two seconds after discharge of the extruded sorbent pellets from the extruder;
and
wherein, after the cold-processing step, the extruded granular sorbent is comprised of at least a plurality of pairs of the extruded sorbent pellets that have a water sorption capacity of at least four times pellet weight and sorb at least four times pellet weight in water within 30 seconds of being wetted with water and form an agglutinated mass thereof comprising a clump that is scoopable from a box of the extruded sorbent pellets within two minutes of wetting the at least the plurality of pairs of extruded sorbent pellets with water and which has a clump compressive crush strength of at least 500 PSI and a clump retention rate of at least 95% when the clump is dried to a moisture content of no greater than about 12% by clump weight.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/399,040Filed 10 Aug 2021 · continuation
Priority: 29 Dec 2015
Published: US 2021/0368732 A12 Dec 2021
Granted: 25 Nov 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

A01K 1/0155
Litter: comprising organic material
B01J 20/24
Comprising organic material: naturally occurring macromolecular compounds, e.g. humic acids or their derivatives
B01J 20/2803
Characterised by their form: sorbents comprising a binder, e.g. for forming aggregated, agglomerated or granulated products
B01J 20/3007
Processes for preparing, regenerating, or reactivating: moulding, shaping or extruding

Family

Application62/272,352Us provisional application · filed 29 Dec 2015
PCT/US2016/069355Parent of this continuation · filed 29 Dec 2016
Application62/452,981Us provisional application · filed 31 Jan 2017
Application15/445,977Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Feb 2017
US 11,083,168 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Aug 2021
US 2021/0368732 A1Pre-grant publication · published 2 Dec 2021
US 2017/0188540 A1Published application
US 12,478,034 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.