Production of powdery products comprising carboxymethyl cellulose

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE IN THE FORM OF A FREE-FLOWING POWDER COMPRISING AGITATING A LOOSE FIBROUS MASS COMPRISING A WATER SOLUBLE SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE MOIST WITH AN AQUEOUS ALCOHOL AND CONTAINING WATER AND ALCOHOL IN SUCH PROPORTIONS THAT THE MASS WOULD NORMALLY DRY TO A LOOSE FIBROUS PRODUCT, SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING THERETO A DISPERSED STREAM OF AQUEOUS FLUID UNTIL THE AMOUNT OF WATER INTRODUCED IS AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE INCIPIENT GELATION AT THE SURFACE OF THE INDIVIDUAL FIBERS BUT INSUFFICIENT TO DESTROY THE LOOSE TEXTURE OF THE MASS AND RENDER A SOLUTION, SUBSTANTIALLY DRYING THE THUS TREATED MASS AND MECHANICALLY COMMINUTING THE SUBSTANTIALLY DRIED MASS THUS PRODUCED.