Hydrothermal treatment of materials

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods for converting feedstock comprising synthetic polymers into a product, comprising: generating a melt stream comprising the synthetic polymers under heat and pressure, and generating heated and pressurised water independently of the melt stream; injecting the heated and pressurised water from apertures of an injection device into the melt stream to form a reaction mixture, wherein the apertures are located internally of the melt stream; using a mixing device to separate and then combine components of the reaction mixture facilitating further mixing of the water and the melt stream, wherein the mixing device comprises two adjacent lattice modules in communication and each rotated at an angle relative to the other; and further treating the reaction mixture at a reaction temperature and pressure to thereby provide the product, as well as apparatus for conducting such methods.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.