Grain Processing Corporation

Thomas L Small

Lin Wang

Sarjit Johal

Thomas A Wiesner

Richard D Harvey

T L Gallaher

Raymond L Mullikin

Thomas L Gallaher

Disclosed is an animal litter that includes a palm oil residue, possibly in combination with another absorbent material such as whole ground grain, virgin germ, seed meal, spent germ or clay. The palm oil residue may be palm kernel cake, palm oil sludge, or palm pressed fiber. Also disclosed are a method for removing animal waste and a process for preparing an animal litter. The method for removal of animal waste includes allowing an animal to excrete waste into a container that includes a litter, the litter comprising a palm oil residue. The process for preparing an animal litter comprises combining the materials that make up the litter to form the litter.

Animal litter, process for preparing animal litter, and method of removal of animal waste

A process for continuously converting starch to paste by heating an aqueous starch slurry with an enzyme to an elevated temperature and holding the mixture at an elevated temperature for a time to gelatinize the starch granules and produce a starch paste of desired viscosity. Then, the starch-enzyme stream is further heated and held at an elevated temperature and for a time sufficient to inactivate the enzyme and after which a starch paste having a desired and substantially stable viscosity is recovered. Preferred apparatus of the invention includes a single, compact, continuous processing unit which minimizes the required equipment and includes a starch conversion conduit adapted for conveying an admixed stream of an aqueous starch slurry and a liquid stream containing an enzyme. Inlet lines for introducing an aqueous starch slurry and a liquid stream containing an enzyme capable of depolymerizing starch into said starch conversion conduit are provided. An enzyme inactivating conduit communicates with the said starch conversion conduit for inactivation of the enzyme. Means for heating the liquid streams within the starch conversion conduit and the enzyme inactivating conduit are provided and pump means serve to pump the stream through said starch conversion conduit and said liquid inactivating conduit at a controlled rate. Receptacle means for receiving the discharge from the enzyme inactivating conduit are provided. Pressure regulating means cna be utilized to maintain a desired pressure within the enzyme inactivating conduit. Inlet means for passing flush water through the system can also be provided.

Starch conversion

Gelatinization and dispersion of starch with a starch solvent such as sodium hydroxide and using mechanical shear.

Chemical-mechanical starch conversion

Growing community of inventors

Muscatine, IA, United States of America

Thomas L Small