The Cycle Group

Yechiel Gilo

Steven G Myers

A quickly dissolving carrier granule made up of wood fibers, mineral filler, and starch-based or dextrin-based adhesive binder. The wood fibers in these granules are preferably wood fibers ranging from about 10 microns to about 2 mm in length. Typically, at least about 35 weight- % of the fibers are retained on a 50-Mesh U.S. Sieve Series screen. The wood fibers in this invention are derived from sources that are substantially free of resins such as urea-formaldehyde resin and of diphenylmethane diisocyanate resin. Typical binders are soluble dextrin binders or a viscous corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, or sago starch binders. The granules have a Resistance to Attrition of at least 90%. Also disclosed is a method of making such granules. The disclosure also describes carrier granule compositions which are made up of from 10 to 90 weight- % of carrier granules wherein the binder is a dextrin binder and from 90 to 10 weight- % of carrier granules wherein the binder is a food-based or industrial-based native starch.

Quick dissolving carrier granules

Method for manufacturing carrier granules. The method forms a mixture comprising fibers, mineral filler, and binder. The mixture contains 32-48 weight-% wood fibers having a bulk density of less than 20 pounds per cubic foot, at least 35 weight-% of which fibers are retained on a 50-Mesh U.S. Sieve Series screen. The fibers have a moisture content of less than 15 weight-%. The mixture also contains 52-65 weight-% mineral filler having a moisture content of less than 12 weight-%. In addition, the mixture contains 3-7 weight-% binder. The mixture is agglomerated by conditioning and agglomerating it in a pin mixer to form small particles followed by agglomerating it in a disc or pan pelletizer to form substantially spherical granules. The method then dries the granules to a moisture content of less than about 5 weight-%, and screens the granules to select granules that pass through a 10-Mesh U.S. Sieve Series screen but are retained on a 40-Mesh U.S. Sieve Series screen. The carrier granules have a bulk density of less than 40 pounds per cubic foot and a Resistance to Attrition of at least 95%.

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Greensboro, NC, United States of America

Yechiel Gilo