Research Group of Extraction and High-Pressure Unit Operations

The chemical recycling of polymers is a crucial stepping stone towards circular economy. During chemical recycling, we aim to decompose the waste polymer feedstock, prefereably in a selective way, to gain valuable intermedier chemicals for industry. Water is an excellent candidate for the reaction media for such processes, due to its favourable properties in terms of cost, availability and environental impact. Our research focuses on the selective hydrothermal decomposition of polymers in semi-continuous setups. We cover a wide range of topics from fundamental process development to complex process optimisation and mathematical modeling.