A species of bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., is pelleted, crumbled and sieved to a desired size. A sorbent produced therefrom has excellent sorbency and clumping, and is consequently well-suited for application as a scoopable animal litter. Alternative applications include, but are not limited to, industrial, commercial and residential sorbents, and high nitrogen content tackifiers suitable for hydro-seeding and other application.