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US 6,287,496 B1Granted
Method of granulating peat using gentle extrusion conditions and viscosified water
AssigneeBene-Tech, Inc.
InventorCharles Michael Lownds
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Abstract
Peat-containing granules possessing numerous beneficial properties can be prepared by a process involving gentle extrusion in which viscosified water is used in the extrudable composition. Advantageously, gentle extrusion allows a peat-containing extrudate to be formed in which the beneficial properties of the raw peat are well preserved. In preferred embodiments, gentle extrusion is achieved by using an extrusion die provided with a plurality of apertures and a relatively large open area which allow low extrusion pressures to be used.
Claims24
A method of making peat-containing granules, comprising the steps of:
- providing an extrudable composition comprising:
- (i) a plurality of two peat particles;
- (ii) a binder in an amount effective to cohesively bind the peat particles together in a manner such that there is substantially no adhesion between granules formed after extrusion;
- and
- (iii) an amount of water effective to provide the composition with a consistency such that the composition can be cohesively extruded;
- (b) extruding the composition to form a wet, cohesive extrudate;
- (c) converting the wet, cohesive extrudate into a plurality of wet, peat-containing particles;
- and
- (d) drying the wet peat-containing particles until the particles contain less than about 15% by weight water, whereby the peat-containing granules are formed.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.