Method of producing a pelleted slow release NPN feed for ruminants

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A PELLETED RUMINANT FEED, WHICH COMPRISES: A. PROVIDING A LIQUID RUMINANT FEED SUPPLEMENT COMPRISING 4 TO 8 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AMMONIUM SULPHATE, UP TO 20 PERCENT BY WEIGHHT OF MOLASSES, 20 TO 30 PERCENT WEIGHT OF UREA, AND 15 TO 25 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, ON A DRY BASIS OF AN AQUEOUS AMMONNIATED SUPERPHOSPHORIC ACID HAVING A NITROGEN CONTENT OF ABOUT 9 TO 12 PERCENT WEIGHT, A TOTAL PHOSPHORUS CONTENT MEASURED AS P2O5 OF 28 TO 39 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, AND WHEREIN POLYMERIC PHOSPHATES REPRESENT ABOUT 30 TO 70 PERCENT BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE TOTAL PHOSPHORUS CONTENT, B. ADMIXING SAID LIQUID FEED SUPPLEMENT WITH A SOLID CARBOHYDRATE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALFALFA, ORANGE PULP, BAGASSE, PEANUT HULLS, AND STRAW, SAID SOLID CARBOHYDRATE MATERIAL COMPRISING WATER-SOLUBLE AND WATER-INSOLUBLE POLYSACCHARIDES, A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF SAID FEED SUPPLEMENT BEING PROVIDED IN THE ADMIXTURE TO CAUSE THE LATTER TO HAVE A TOTAL PROTEIN EQUIVALENT OF 25 TO 60-PERCENT BY WEIGHT ON A DRY BASIS, AND PROVIDE AN ACID CATALYST FOR HYDROLYSIS OF THE POLYSACCHARIDES TO FORM CARBONYL GROUPS REACTIVES TO UREA, C. DRYING AND REACTING THE ADMIXTURE FROM STEP B IN A CONVENTIONAL GAS FIRED DRYER AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE 180* TO 240*F. FOR 5 TO 60 MINUTES TO OBTAIN A DRIED, REACTED, SOLID MATERIAL CONTAINING 6 TO 12 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF WATER, D. COATING THE DRIED, REACTED SOLID MATERIAL FROM STEP C WITH A CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS UREA-FORMALDEHYDE SOLUTION CONTAINING 60 TO 90 PERCENT TOTAL SOLIDS ANND 0.5 TO 6.5 MOLS OF FORMALDEHYDE FOR EVERY MOL OF UREA, AT A RATIO OF ABOUT 5 TO 20 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF SAID UREA-FORMALDEHYDE SOLUTION PER 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF SAID DRIED, REACTED SOLID MATERIAL, E. PELLETING AND AGGLOMERATING THE COATED MATERIAL FROM STEP D AT A TEMPERATURE OF 140* TOO 300*F. TO OBTAIN AN AGGLOMERATED PELLETED PRODUCT, AND F. COOLING THE RESULTING PELLETED PRODUCT TO AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WITHIN 1 TO 60 MINUTES AFTER PELLETING WHEREBY A HARD PELLETED PRODUCT IS PRODUCED.