Rostec began producing gunpowder from wood cellulose – Kommersant

Rostec enterprises have begun industrial production of gunpowder from wood and flax cellulose in 2023, said Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the arms, ammunition and special chemicals cluster of the state corporation. Rostec expects that in the future the share of new raw materials in the production of gunpowder will reach 60–70%.

“The results are positive: a set of tests and practical shooting showed that such gunpowder is in no way inferior to traditional ones. There is no shortage of wood raw materials in Russia,” said Mr. Ozdoev TASS.

By data The Wall Street Journal, Russia in 2022 increased the amount of nitrocellulose used, including for the production of gunpowder and rocket fuel, by 70%. By mid-2023, imports of this substance into the Russian Federation reached 3 thousand tons, which is almost twice as much as in 2021. At the end of 2023, ammunition manufacturer Vista Outdoor statedthat there would be a shortage of gunpowder in the near future due to unprecedented demand.

Leonid Uvarchev