Method for characterising the presence of polymers and/or quantifying polymers in a porous medium

A method for characterization of the presence and/or for quantification of at least one polymer (Pol1, Pol2) in a porous medium such as a natural porous medium, characterized in that at least the following steps are carried out:

• a) heating a sample of said porous medium, according to a first heating sequence in an inert atmosphere, and continuously measuring a representative quantity of hydrocarbon compounds released during said first heating sequence (HC), a representative quantity of carbon monoxide and/or a representative quantity of carbon dioxide released during said first heating sequence (CO_inert, CO2_inert),
• b) heating a residue of said sample from said first heating sequence according to a second heating sequence in an oxidizing atmosphere, and continuously measuring a representative quantity of carbon monoxide and/or a representative quantity of carbon dioxide released during said second heating sequence (CO_oxyd, CO2_oxyd),
• c) determining at least one parameter from at least one curve of the measured representative quantity of hydrocarbon compounds released during the first heating sequence (HC) and/or from a curve of the measured representative quantity of carbon monoxide released during the first heating sequence (CO_inert) and/or from a curve of the measured representative quantity of carbon monoxide released during the second heating sequence (CO_oxyd) and/or from a curve of the measured representative quantity of carbon dioxide released during the first heating sequence (CO2_inert) and/or from a curve of the measured representative quantity of carbon dioxide released during the second heating sequence (CO2_oxyd), and comparing said at least one parameter with at least one reference parameter of a first database relative to said at least one polymer (Pol1, Pol2),
• d) from said comparison of said at least one parameter determined from at least one of said curves of one of said measured quantities with the at least one reference parameter of a first database relative to at least said polymer, characterizing the presence or the absence of said at least one polymer in the porous medium, and/or determining a quantity of said at least one polymer in said porous medium (c_pol, q_pol).