The Pelleting Sawdust for using as Litter in Pet Cages

doi: 10.14456/mijet.2018.12

Abstract

The objective of this research is to study the pelleting process for the pet cages. The materials were eucalyptus sawdust, rice straw and coconut fiber without using a binder. Factors in this study were material formulas, which varied in five formulas (U, UR1, UR2, URC and UC) and the rotation speed of pelleting mold 3 levels of 120, 150 and 200 RPM.  These were compared with two reference samples (Ref.1 and Ref.2). The results showed that the durability index ranged from 90.07-98.18 %, water absorption ability ranged from 309.46-548.00 %, apparent density ranged from 0.52-0.69 g/cm3, moisture content ranged from 3.08-5.63% db., the average of diameter and length were 6.08 and 21.43 mm and pH  ranged from 6.69-7.75. The results were not significantly different between the reference samples. For the satisfaction assessment on the overall quality, three formulas of U, UR1 and UC were tested by the user and compared with reference samples Ref.1 and Ref.2. The point were similar to the results of reference samples of 7.77 ±0.72 and 7.47 ±0.91.The results of this study indicated that developed material formulas for pet cage of U, UR1 and UC were satisfied by the user and this might be the alternative ways for the animal husbandry industry.