Method Of Depolymerizing A Polymer Into Monomer And Use Of A Salt In Such A Method

Abstract

A method for obtaining a monomer by degrading a polymer, the polymer being a homo or copolymer of the monomer is described. The method comprising the steps of providing the polymer and a solvent as a reaction mixture in a reactor, wherein the solvent is a reactant capable of reacting with the polymer to degrade the polymer into oligomers and at least one monomer; providing a reusable catalyst being capable of degrading the polymer into oligomers and at least one monomer; degrading the polymer in the reaction mixture at reaction conditions using the catalyst to form a monomer; and recovering the catalyst from the reaction mixture; wherein the method further comprises the addition of a salt to the reaction mixture in at least one of the method steps, wherein the salt has at least one multivalent monoatomic or polyatomic anion. The present invention furthermore relates to the use of a salt as a recovery enhancing-agent and/or a co-catalyst for a catalyst in catalytic degradation of a polymer in a reaction mixture at reaction conditions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.