Patent ID: 6943247

Claim:
A building material composition prepared from a particulate material selected from the group consisting of particulate polysaccharides and particulate polysaccharide derivatives, wherein the particulate material is prepared by a method comprising: (a) forming a feed composition comprising a member selected from the group consisting of polysaccharides and polysaccharide derivatives, and 35 wt. % to 99 wt. % of water, based on the total weight of the feed composition, wherein said member is at least one of swelled and dissolved in the feed composition; (b) contacting, in a mill, the feed composition with a gas stream, thereby converting simultaneously the water of said feed composition into water vapor, and said member of said feed composition into a solid state form of finely particulate material; (c) separating the particulate material from the gas stream; and (d) optionally drying the particulate material, wherein the particulate material contains, in each case based on the total weight of the particles, less than 5 wt. % with a particle size smaller than 15 μm, less than 2 wt. % with a particle size smaller than 10 μm, and less than 1 wt. % with a particle size smaller than 5 μm.