Process using a supercritical fluid for regenerating synthetic organic polymeric adsorbents and wastewater treatment embodying the same

A process for treating water to remove at least one organic material therefrom, comprising the steps of

• a. contacting a synthetic organic polymeric adsorbent with a stream of water containing said organic material under conditions such that said organic material is adsorbed as an adsorbate on said synthetic organic polymeric adsorbent;
• b. then contacting said synthetic organic polymeric adsorbent with said organic material adsorbed thereon with a supercritical fluid which is a solvent for said organic material to desorb said organic material and to dissolve it in said supercritical fluid, thereby to render said adsorbent capable of adsorbing an additional quantity of said organic material, said supercritical fluid during said contacting being at a temperature between about 1.01 and about 1.3 times its critical temperature in degrees K and at a pressure above its critical pressure;
• c. separating said supercritical fluid with said dissolved organic material from said adsorbent;
• d. subjecting said supercritical fluid containing said organic material dissolved therein to physical treatment which renders said fluid a nonsolvent for said organic material thereby to form a two-phase system comprising said fluid in a nonsolvent state and said organic material;
• e. separating the resulting two-phase system into nonsolvent state fluid and organic material;
• and
• f. subjecting said nonsolvent state fluid subsequent to said separating step to a physical treatment which converts it to a solvent state supercritical fluid making it a solvent for said organic material.