Method of producing a pelleted slow-release NPN feed for ruminants

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PREPARING A NONTOXIC PELLETED RUMINANT FEED HAVING HIGH NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND IMPROVED STORAGE CHARACTERISTICS, WHICH COMPRISES: A. PROVIDING A LIQUID RUMINANT FEED SUPPLEMENT COMPRISING 4 TO 8 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE SULFATE, UP TO 30 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF MOLASSES, 20 TO 30 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF UREA, AND 15 TO 25 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, ON A DRY BASIS, OF AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SUPERPHOSPHORIC ACID, AND AQUEOUS AMMONIATED SUPERPHOSPHORIC ACID HAVING A NITROGEN CONTENT OF ABOUT 9 TO 12 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, A TOTAL PHOSPHORUS CONTENT MEASURED AS P205 OF 28 TO 38 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, AND WHEREIN POLYMERIC PHOSPHATES REPRESENT ABOUT 30 TO 70 PERCENT BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE TOTAL PHOSPHORUS CONTENT, B. ADMIXING SAID FEED SUPPLEMENT WITH A SOLID NATURAL RUMINANT FEEDSTUFF CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF WATER-SOLUBLE AND WATER-INSOLUBLE POLYSACCHARIDES AND CONTAINING 25 TO 75 WEIGHT PERCENT OF WATER, TO IMPREGNATE THE SOLID NATURAL RUMINANT FEEDSTUFF AND PROVIDE ABOUT 2 TO 10 WEIGHT PERCENT TOTAL NITROGEN ON A DRY BASIS AND PROVIDE AN ACID CATALYST FOR HYDROLYSIS OF THE POLYSACCHARIDES TO FORM ALDEHYDIC CARBONYL GROUPS REACTIVE TO UREA, C. DRYING AND REACTING THE MIXTURE 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, SLOW-RELEASE NITROGEN PRODUCT CONTAINING 6 TO 12 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF WATER, D. PELLETING AND AGGLOMERATING SAID DRIED IMPREGNATED SOLID FEEDSTUFF AT A PRESSURE OF 500-20,000 PSIG WHILE MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF AT ABOUT 140* TO 300*F., AND E. COOLING THE RESULTING PELLETED PRODUCT TO AMBIENT TEMPERATURE TO FORM HARD PELLETS WHEREIN 50 TO 90 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL NITROGEN IS WATER-INSOLUBLE NITROGEN.