Processing cellulose ethers

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR MAKING SMALL, SUBSTANTIALLY NONPOROUS, SUBSTANTIALLY SPHERICAL PARTICLES OF WATER-INSOLUBLE CELLULOSE ETHER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKYL CELLULOSE AND HYDROXYALKYL CELLULOSE, WHICH COMPRISES DISSOLVING UP TO ABOUT 20% OF THE CELLULOSE ETHER IN AN ORGANIC SOLVENT HAVING A MAXIMUM SOLUBILITY OF ABOUT 60 PARTS PER 100 PARTS OF WATER AT 20*C.; DISPERSING THE CELLULOSE ETHER SOLUTION IN WATER IN THE PRESENCE OF A COLLOIDAL AGENT AND A SOLUTE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER-SOLUBLE SALTS AND WATER-SOLUBLE POLYHYDROXY COMPOUNDS, THE WATER BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO FORM AN OIL-IN-WATER TYPE EMULSION UP TO ABOUT 150% BY VOLUME BASED ON THE ORGANIC SOLVENT, THE COLLOIDAL AGENT BEING PREFERENTIALLY SOLUBLE IN WATR AND BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY THE VISCOSITY OF THE WATER PHASE, REMOVING THE ORGANIC SOLVENT FROM THE DISPERSED PARTICLES, THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EMULSION DURING SUBSTANTIAL SOLVENT REMOVAL BEING UP TO THE BOILING POINT OF THE SOLVENT BUT BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF WATER, AND SEPARATING THE PARTICLES FROM THE WATER.