Patent ID: 6872820

Claim:
A finely divided polysaccharide derivative product prepared by a process comprising: a) forming an aqueous composition comprising a polysaccharide derivative and water, said composition containing water in an amount of 35 to 99 wt. %, based on the total weight of said aqueous composition, said polysaccharide derivative being soaked or dissolved in said composition; b) converting the polysaccharide derivative of said aqueous composition into finely divided solid particles by, (i) contacting said aqueous composition with superheated water vapor in a dryer-pulverizer, thereby converting the water of said aqueous composition into the vapor phase, and converting the polysaccharide derivative of said aqueous composition into finely divided solid particles; or (ii) causing the polysaccharide derivative of said aqueous composition to flocculate, thereby converting the polysaccharide derivative of said aqueous composition into finely divided solid particles; and c) optionally drying the finely divided solid particles of step b), wherein the primary structures which result from the polysaccharide starting material have been largely removed, and the product has a shape factor of less than 5 and greater than or equal to 1.