The scientists’ efforts are part of a broader effort at the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois, to develop new, value-added markets for U.S. crops and the waste generated from their harvest and processing.

In this instance, they’ve opened the door to a new commercial use for soybean hulls and other agricultural wastes that could yield a new, biodegradable litter that cuts down on the dust and the smell of cat urine when the felines tidy up after themselves. Backlighting this prospect is the nearly $11 billion world cat litter market (2021) and yearly U.S. waste generation of more than 80 million pounds of soy hulls (2018) whose current primary use is in livestock feed.

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