Pellets and a process for producing pellets are disclosed. The process includes recovering spent coffee grounds from a coffee production facility. The coffee grounds are then subject to a drying process to remove moisture from the coffee grounds to form dried coffee grounds. A mixture of about 0.5-10% dried coffee grounds and wood material is then formed. The mixture is then compressed in a pellet mill to form wood pellets including about 0.5-10% coffee grounds. The coffee grounds in the wood material acts as a lubricant for the pelleting machinery and eliminate the need for other lubricants in the process.

A process for making an animal litter from a woody biomass starting material is described, with the performance amendments substantially located entirely on the outside surface of the woody biomass particles. The process may include the steps of densifying the biomass starting material, crumbling the densified biomass material; screening the densified biomass material for size; optionally adding a zeolite containing a scent; spray coating the sized, densified biomass particles with a surface adhesion agent; and powder dosing the sized, densified biomass particles and zeolites with a performance amendment comprising equal parts bentonite and guar gum.

A process for making an animal litter from a woody biomass starting material is described, with the performance amendments substantially located entirely on the outside surface of the woody biomass particles. The process may include the steps of densifying the biomass starting material, crumbling the densified biomass material; screening the densified biomass material for size; optionally adding a zeolite containing a scent; spray coating the sized, densified biomass particles with a surface adhesion agent; and powder dosing the sized, densified biomass particles and zeolites with a performance amendment comprising equal parts bentonite and guar gum.

A novel technique for the fabrication of a casket dome lid from, for example, Smooth-One-Side (“S1S”) hardboard is disclosed. The invention is also directed to the fabrication of a casket lid which has a domed configuration both in the lateral and longitudinal directions of the lid. The method comprises the steps of providing a lid blank having a first end, second end, and a central region; providing a pair of diagonal voids oriented at corners of the first end of said blank and extending inward toward the central region; placing the lid blank in a vacuum fixture; and flexing the lid blank into a domed configuration via the vacuum fixture, such that the blank is domed in both a longitudinal and a transverse direction.

A novel technique for the fabrication of a casket dome lid from, for example, Smooth-One-Side (“S1S”) hardboard is disclosed. The invention is also directed to the fabrication of a casket lid which has a domed configuration both in the lateral and longitudinal directions of the lid. The method comprises the steps of providing a lid blank having a first end, second end, and a central region; providing a pair of diagonal voids oriented at corners of the first end of said blank and extending inward toward the central region; placing the lid blank in a vacuum fixture; and flexing the lid blank into a domed configuration via the vacuum fixture, such that the blank is domed in both a longitudinal and a transverse direction.

An equal-fork pallet comprising a pallet body is provided. The pallet body is provided with a stand structure and a reinforcing structure, the reinforcing structure is a reinforcing rib embodied by a groove structure pressed on the surface of the pallet body, and the reinforcing rib comprises a connection type reinforcing rib and a semi-partition type reinforcing rib, the stand structure comprises a corner stand, an edge stand and a center stand, and neither end of the partition type reinforcing rib is connected to the stand. The equal-fork pallet has a reasonable structural design and strong pressure bearing capacity, with targeted layout and design of the reinforcing rib centralized position and stress concentration position such as stand. The pallet can overcome the problems of low local compressive strength and proneness to produce stress fracture and local cracking.

An equal-fork pallet comprising a pallet body is provided. The pallet body is provided with a stand structure and a reinforcing structure, the reinforcing structure is a reinforcing rib embodied by a groove structure pressed on the surface of the pallet body, and the reinforcing rib comprises a connection type reinforcing rib and a semi-partition type reinforcing rib, the stand structure comprises a corner stand, an edge stand and a center stand, and neither end of the partition type reinforcing rib is connected to the stand. The equal-fork pallet has a reasonable structural design and strong pressure bearing capacity, with targeted layout and design of the reinforcing rib centralized position and stress concentration position such as stand. The pallet can overcome the problems of low local compressive strength and proneness to produce stress fracture and local cracking.

A method for manufacturing a cellulose product, comprising the steps: dry forming a cellulose blank in a dry forming unit; arranging the cellulose blank in a forming mould; heating the cellulose blank to a forming temperature in the range of 100° C. to 200° C.; and pressing the cellulose blank in the forming mould with a forming pressure of at least 1 MPa.

A method of fabricating a cork composite material and a cork composite material. The method may comprise providing a plurality of cork particles in a volume and adding a dispersion of thermoplastic elastomer to the volume to provide a mixture of the dispersion of thermoplastic elastomer and the cork particles. The method may comprise agitating the cork particles and/or the mixture of the dispersion of thermoplastic elastomer and the cork particles and heating the mixture of the thermoplastic elastomer and the cork particles. The method may comprise allowing the mixture of the thermoplastic elastomer and the cork particles to cool. The steps of the method together may result in a plurality of coated cork particles being coated in a first layer of the thermoplastic elastomer.

In order to provide a method of molding plant-based material to mold three-dimensional shape of cross section for relatively long plant-based material while maintaining the continuity of original cell/tissue of the plant-based material by means of simple equipment and process, we obtained a long plant-based material of high density and high strength by continuously giving compressing/drawing deformation to the component tissue of the plant-based material toward the center direction while extruding the plant-based material via the extruding die having a prescribed extrusion ratio and die angle for a relatively long plant-based material long in the fiber direction.