SuperStraw for odour reduction in animal beddings

在马尼托巴和加拿大有丰富的秸秆（作物残留物），农民经常面临如何处理剩余秸秆的问题。秸秆处理的一种常见做法是在田间焚烧（残茬焚烧）。然而，这种做法在许多司法管辖区被禁止或受到管制，因为燃烧秸秆将大量颗粒物和其他污染物（一氧化碳和挥发性有机化合物）排入大气，造成环境和健康问题。虽然稻草已经探索了各种市场机会，但其中大多数市场在经济上不可行。Biovalco创新产品公司(BIP)开发了一种用于吸湿的秸秆产品（SuperStraw）。该公司计划进一步开发和改进SuperStraw的高价值应用，如宠物床上用品。对于用于宠物床上用品的材料有两个最重要的要求-吸湿和减少气味。BIP进行的研究表明，与传统的动物垫料相比，SuperStraw具有超强的吸湿能力，但尚不清楚SuperStraw是否能有效减少气味，更重要的是，它如何减少气味。在拟议的研究中，将进行实验室实验，以分析SuperStraw在减少气味方面的性能，并阐明SuperStraw减少气味的机制。产生的科学信息将指导公司改进SuperStraw的工艺和配方，以进一步提高产品的气味控制能力。

There is abundance of straw (crop residues) in Manitoba and in Canada and farmers often face the problem of what to do with leftover straw. A common practice of straw disposal is to burn it in the field (stubble burning). However, this practice is either prohibited or regulated in many jurisdictions because burning straw puts a significant amount of particulate matter and other pollutants (carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds) in the atmosphere, causing environmental and health problems. Although straw has been explored for various market opportunities, most of those markets are not economically viable. Biovalco Innovative Products Inc. (BIP) has developed a straw-based product (SuperStraw) for moisture adsorption. The company plans to further develop and improve SuperStraw for high-value applications, such as pet bedding. There are two most important requirements for a material to be used for pet bedding - moisture adsorption and odour reduction. BIP has conducted research that demonstrated the superb moisture adsorption capacity of SuperStraw compared to traditional animal bedding materials, but it is not known if SuperStraw is effectives in odour reduction, and more importantly, how it would reduce odour. In the proposed research, laboratory experiments will be performed to analyze the performance of SuperStraw in odour reduction, and to elucidate the mechanisms by which SuperStraw reduces odour. The generated scientific information will guide the company to improve the processes and formulations of SuperStraw to further enhance the odour control capacity of the product.