Abstract: Polyurethane can be reclaimed from solvent-containing or solvent-free polyurethane wastage by adjusting the amount of solvent, preferably with methyl ethyl ketone; adding an emulsifier, preferably, acylpolyethyleneglycolester; then adding about twelve times the wastage weight of water; mixing, preferably for about one hour at room temperature to form an emulsion; and then expelling the solvent as a two-phase distillate using steam; separating solvent from the resulting two-phase distillate; filtering off polyurethane granular material left floating in the water residue, and drying the separated granular material.

Abstract: Reuseable polyvinyl chloride is recovered from solvent-loaded waste polyvinyl chloride paste by adding one twentieth of the paste weight of an acyl polyethylene glycol ester, then adding about twice the paste weight of water, while stirring, driving off the solvent by steam distillation, separating the solvent from the resulting two-phase distillate, and filtering off and drying the polyvinyl chloride granules floating in water left behind in the distillation residue.