Polymer decontamination and recycling
During the first usage of a polymer it may have experienced contamination, e.g. as pipeline material by having been in contact with fluids like hydrocarbons. Before being able to process the material for manufacturing a new product, the recycled polymer needs to undergo a decontamination step which can be carried out by supercritical extraction. As an example for a further usage, manufacturing of an aerogel is a viable option. Different solvents are tested to produce gels that are subsequently dried with help of supercritical CO2. An integrated process is proposed that can save de decontamination step while obtaining a recycled product with a high added value.