Patent ID: 7704340

Claim:
A method of making pelletized nitrocellulose (PNC), comprising the following sequence of steps: preparing a lacquer, the lacquer consists of nitrocellulose (NC), water, ethyl acetate and ethyl centralite, the NC including a nitrogen content of at least about 12.2%; heating, separately, the lacquer and an antisolvent after said preparing the lacquer; mixing the lacquer with the antisolvent to emulsify the lacquer and form PNC; drowning the PNC with the antisolvent for removing the ethyl centralite; separating the antisolvent and ethyl acetate from the PNC; washing as needed the PNC with at least alcohol, and removing the alcohol by heptane washing the PNC; and slurrying said PNC, wherein said separating is a non-distillation separation, which includes centrifuging said antisolvent and said ethyl acetate, wherein said separating the antisolvent and the ethyl acetate from the PNC is performed prior to said PNC is slurried, wherein said lacquer comprises about 0.48% water, and wherein said mixing consists of said lacquer and said antisolvent are pumped into an inline homogenizer to combine together and form an emulsion.