Polymer degradation

Method of degrading a homo- or copolymer into oligomers, trimers, dimers and/or monomers, comprising the steps of:

• providing the polymer in a suitable solvent, the polymer being in solid form, wherein the polymer is one or more of a polyester, a polyamide, a polycondensate and a polyether, wherein the solvent is a mono- or di-alcohol,
• providing a catalyst complex being capable of degrading the polymer into oligomers and/or monomers, wherein the polymer, solvent and catalyst complex constitute a dispersion, wherein said catalyst complex comprising functionalized magnetic particles, wherein the functionalization comprises a bridging moiety and a catalyst entity bonded to the bridging moiety, said catalyst entity comprising an aromatic heterocyclic moiety,
• degrading the polymer by means of glycolysis to degrade a portion thereof into oligomers, trimers, dimers and monomers, in which the solvent functions as a reactant, and wherein the degradation is performed at a temperature in the range of 90°-350° C. and a pressure in the range of 90 kPa-6,000 kPa,
• recovering the catalyst complex, wherein a second solvent is provided as a washing agent, said second solvent being water, wherein the catalyst complex, oligomers trimers and dimers form a separate phase, and wherein monomers and the mono- or di-alcoholic solvent dissolve in the water, and
• retrieving monomers from the second solvent by means of crystallisation.