New cat litter from Morocco

"Biokat's Premium", which was presented at Interzoo in Nuremberg, is a natural clay litter comprising bentonite. The material is characterised by a high clumping capacity and very firm clump formation. Following testing exclusively in the German and Dutch market, the product is expected to be marketed in other countries also in the coming months.The production plant in Magdeburg.The snow-white raw material is extracted from opencast mines in Morocco and dried in the sun. Ökosys Umwelttechnik has its own pits in Morocco with virtually unlimited reserves of natural clay. The president of the company, Michael Wielage, has been active in the cat litter market for many years and was most recently in charge of a clay mineral factory in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.The material is carried by ship to Hamburg, from where it travels up the Elbe to Magdeburg. There the pre-dried raw clay is pulverised, dried and sifted in a continuous process taking approximately two hours before it can be packed and transported by haulage contractors to the customers.Karlheinz Süßmaier, technical director at Gimborn (right) and Ökosys president Michael Wielage.Magdeburg is an ideal location on account of its central position and good transport links. The production plant is directly beside the port, from where the natural clay is transferred to the raw material hall via a conveyor bridge. The plant, which has been in regular operation since mid-May, currently has a production capacity of 20,000 t and can be extended at any time if the need arises thanks to the ample free space on the site. At present the plant operates two shifts per day, five days a week. In addition to the production facilities the plant also boasts adequate warehousing and a research laboratory."Biokat's Premium" was unveiled at Interzoo."Biokat's Premium" is an advice-intensive product. If a cat owner uses too little, for example, the litter may remain stuck to the tray. The premium product is aimed primarily at those who use fine litter. "The product combines the advantages of coarse and fine litter: a high absorption rate of over 300 per cent on the one hand, and a high clumping capacity on the other", explains Karlheinz Süßmaier, Gimborn's technical director. The contents of a 14 kg bag will absorb more than 42 litres of liquid.  To make using the tray as pleasant as possible, the litter has a fine baby powder fragrance. In contrast to fine litter, "Biokat's Premium" is virtually dust-free.Gimborn is highly…