Abstract: A method of making an extruded granular absorbent is provided where the method includes providing an extruder and a starch-containing admixture, and pressurizing the starch containing admixture in the extruder under relatively high extrusion pressures to extrude the pressurized starch-containing admixture from the extruder, and producing a water absorbent and oil absorbent extrudate. The present invention further provides that the extruded granular absorbent may be combined with a non-extruded granular material with relatively high inert or cellulose content where there may be a greater proportion of extruded granular absorbent, and the extruded granular absorbent and non-extruded granular material agglutinate into a clump when wetted with water or urine.

Abstract: A method of making granular extrudate by extruding a starch-containing admixture from an extruder into an extrudate discharge chamber in gas flow communication with a discharge conduit that transports the granular extrudate away therefrom in gas turbulently flowing therethrough. During transport of the granular extrudate from the discharge chamber and through the conduit in the flowing gas, the gas quenches the granular extrudate cooling and drying the granular extrudate without heating it. Quenching reduces the granular extrudate temperature by at least 15° Celsius and moisture content to no greater than 13%. Quenching prevents shrinkage and densification of the extrudate including when cut into pellets. Quenching also prevents retrogradation, crystallization/recrystallization and solubilization of cold-water soluble binder formed in each pellet during extrusion.

Abstract: Method and coated lightweight granular absorbent formed of lightweight inner cores made of extruded pellets coated with powdered smectite, preferably bentonite, to form an outer sorbent smectite shell around each pellet producing lightweight sorbent granules where the pellets have sufficient water soluble binder to facilitate shell formation and clumping during sorbent use. When lightweight sorbent granules are wetted, clumps are formed that shrink during drying producing a clean, generally non-sticking clump having a high clump retention rate of at least 92% and/or a crush strength of at least 15 PSI. In a preferred method, the pellets are dried coated with dry powdered smectite before wetting using an atomizer or mister while turbulently directing air towards the pellets and powdered smectite to coat the pellets with the powdered smectite forming the outer sorbent shell while minimizing pellet shrinkage and densification. Such lightweight granular sorbent is well suited for use as litter.

Abstract: Extruded granular sorbent formed of sorbent granules each being or including an extruded pellet containing water soluble binder sufficient to self-clump when wetted producing clumps of granules each having a clump retention rate of at least 90% and which shrink after clump formation during drying producing a nonstick clump that condenses pulling away from any contacting solid surface minimizing adhesion therebetween. Such clumps preferably also have a crush strength of at least 15 PSI when dry. Pellets preferably contain cold water-soluble amylopectin binder that not only solubilizes when wetted to facilitate clumping but which also opens the interior of the pellet improving absorption capacity. Sorbent well suited for use as litter is formed of granules or pellets having sizes falling within a plurality of different size ranges with the smaller sized fines causing the clumps to form on top of the litter extending generally horizontally along the litter.

Abstract: Litter formed of extruded pellets containing water soluble binder sufficient to self-clump when wetted producing pellet clumps having a clump retention rate of at least 90% and which shrink after clump formation during drying producing a clump pulls away from any contacting solid surface minimizing adhesion therebetween. Such clumps preferably also have a crush strength of at least 15 PSI when dry. Pellets preferably contain water-soluble binder formed of starch physically modified during extrusion that solubilizes when wetted to facilitate clumping while opening the interior of the pellet improving absorption capacity. A preferred litter is formed of a mixture of extruded pellets of different sizes producing litter composed of extruded pellets falling within a plurality of different size ranges with the smaller sized pellets being fines that cause horizontally extending clumps to form on top of the litter.

Abstract: A pump system includes a submersible pump and a filter. The pump has a housing, an intake, and a discharge. The filter includes a filter housing that releasably engages the pump and that overlies the intake of the pump. The filter housing has an intake, an outlet located between the intake of the filter housing and the intake of the pump. A filter chamber is located upstream of the outlet of the filter housing and is configured to receive filter media. The outlet of the filter housing is disposed inline with the intake of the pump. The coupling may comprise a latch that clips or snaps onto part of the pump, releasably attaching the filter housing to the pump. The latch may engage with opposite sides of the pump when releasably attaching the filter housing to the pump. The latch may include a plurality of spaced apart snaps that snap onto the pump.

Abstract: A vortex fountain or waterer that incorporates measures to induce swirl in liquid moving toward a drain opening of the fountain to inhibit the accumulation of debris is provided. The fountain may have a bowl including a base surface having a slope that is configured to create a vortex in the liquid flowing toward the drain opening to induce movement of a quantity of water, where the bowl is located above a basin configured to hold the liquid. The fountain may also include a pump outlet jet that can be positioned about the bowl to induce swirl about the bowl. The fountain may also include a drain tube located beneath the drain opening, and an extended guide tube extending downwardly towards the bottom of the basin. When the liquid passes through the drain, drain tube, and guide tube, oxygen is incorporated into the liquid as the liquid reaches the basin.

Abstract: A post-extrusion extruded granular sorbent processing system having a pellet-collecting enclosure that receives pellets of granular sorbent extruded from a starch-containing admixture through a die at a discharge end of an extruder and transports the pellets in air from an air mover flowing from the enclosure through a pellet-conveying duct of a pneumatic conveyor cooling and drying the pellets. The system includes a subsystem configured for processing the pellets after extruding, cooling, and drying using a pellet processing machine configured for reducing a size of each pellet having a size greater than a size reduction setting of the machine. A preferred pellet processing machine has rotating horizontally and circumferentially corrugated rollers with a selectively variable gap between the rollers providing the size reducing setting and configuring the rotating rollers for reducing a size of the pellets passing between the rollers having a size greater than the gap between the rollers.

Abstract: A system and method for treating or processing granular absorbent while the granular absorbent is being transported in a fluid stream that preferably is a stream of air. The system includes a pneumatic conveyor with a conduit that draws pellets exiting an extruder into the conduit drying the pellets as they are transported through the conduit. Material can be introduced that dries, coats or otherwise treats the pellets while the pellets are transported through the conduit. Coating material, e.g., powdered bentonite can coat and also dry pellets during transport. A conduit can have inner pellet treating surface that abrades pellets transported through the conduit producing smaller fines that can be packaged with pellets forming a granular absorbent product that forms clumps on top that extend generally horizontally.

Abstract: A method of making an extruded granular absorbent is provided where the method includes providing an extruder and a starch-containing admixture, and pressurizing the starch containing admixture in the extruder under relatively high extrusion pressures to extrude the pressurized starch-containing admixture from the extruder, and producing a water absorbent and oil absorbent extrudate. The present invention further provides that the extruded granular absorbent may be combined with a non-extruded granular material with relatively high inert or cellulose content where there may be a greater proportion of extruded granular absorbent, and the extruded granular absorbent and non-extruded granular material agglutinate into a clump when wetted with water or urine.

Abstract: A method of extruding self-clumping granular absorbent having cold water soluble amylopectin starch binder formed from starch-containing admixture sufficient for extruded sorbent pellets to produce flowable binder flowing between pellets clumping them together producing clumps of pellets that become hard when substantially dry that have a crush strength of at least 25 PSI and clump retention of at least 80% and preferably at least 90%. As a result, dried pellet clumps are easy to pick up leaving behind unspent pellets for continued sorbent use. A pellet quenching method rapidly cools and dries pellets before leaving the extruder preventing loss of cold water soluble starch and binder, preventing pellet shrinkage, and preventing pellet densification. An air conveyor transporting quenched pellets removed from the extruder further cools and dries the pellets producing pellets ready for sorbent use.

Abstract: A modular filter for a submersible pump that has a filter housing with an integrally formed pump coupling that telescopically receives pail of a housing of the pump and a filter chamber defined by a pair of spaced apart perforate sidewalls having filter media disposed therebetween. The perforate filter chamber defining sidewalls are opposed to one another with one of the perforate sidewalls defining a first intake grate inline with an intake of the pump and the other one of the perforate sidewalls defining at least one second intake grate that can function as a bypass should the filter media inline with the first intake grate become plugged. In a preferred embodiment, the other one of the perforate sidewalls includes a filtrate grate adjoining the at least one second intake grate. In a preferred embodiment, the other one of the sidewalls has a pair of spaced apart second intake grates outboard of the pump intake that are generally coplanar with the filtrate grate.

Abstract: A litter and litter making method producing cat litter from a carbohydrate starch-containing cereal grain, e.g., corn, based admixture extruded from a single screw or twin screw extruder forming pellets having a clumping agent formed during extrusion composed at least in part of carbohydrate polymer binder. Each pellet is extruded under conditions that cause formation of carbohydrate polymer binder clumping agent at least some of which is water soluble. One preferred method of extruding cat litter causes starch dextrinization to occur such that at least some of the carbohydrate polymer binder clumping agent in each pellet is formed of dextrin. Each pellet can be coated such as with a smectite that preferably is bentonite. During use, pellet extrusion formed clumping agent in a pellet wetted with urine dissolves and flows in between and along adjacent pellets causing them to clump together without the presence of any clumping agent additive.

Abstract: A system and method for treating or processing granular absorbent while the granular absorbent is being transported in a fluid stream that preferably is a stream of air. The system includes a pneumatic conveyor with a conduit that draws pellets exiting an extruder into the conduit drying the pellets as they are transported through the conduit. Material can be introduced that dries, coats or otherwise treats the pellets while the pellets are transported through the conduit. Coating material, e.g., powdered bentonite can coat and also dry pellets during transport. A conduit can have inner pellet treating surface that abrades pellets transported through the conduit producing smaller fines that can be packaged with pellets forming a granular absorbent product that forms clumps on top that extend generally horizontally.

Abstract: A water diffuser that extends from the discharge outlet of a pet fountain, for receiving water from the outlet of the pet fountain's water pump, wherein the diffuser includes a perforate tubular diffuser section that can be releasably coupled or otherwise anchored to part of the fountain by a connecting or coupling section that preferably is tubular and imperforate. The diffuser can include a water treatment disposed within the diffuser that is dispensed or released into water flowing through the diffuser. The diffuser may also include a filter for removing contaminants from water flowing through the water. Where used together with a water treatment, the filter can be disposed within the diffuser upstream of the water treatment for filtering water flowing through the diffuser before treating the flowing water.

Abstract: A pet fountain assembly that includes a cover with a drinking bowl formed therein that straddles a sidewall of a basin that can be user-provided enclosing a pump within a pumping chamber defined therebetween. The cover has a downwardly extending sidewall divided by openings that can be generally U-shaped or V-shaped into a plurality of supports on which the cover. In a preferred embodiment, one of the supports is disposed outboard the basin sidewall resting on the ground and another one of the supports is disposed inboard the basin sidewall resting on a bottom of the basin providing a water passage enabling water from the basin to reach the pump. The inboard support can provide an overflow spillway as well as define a shroud disposed between the pump and water in a lower drinking bowl of the basin. The basin can include an outwardly offset seat that locates the pump.