Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for recovering a sterilizing gas, in particular ethylene oxide, materials to be sterilized are sterilized with the sterilizing gas in a sterilizing chamber; the sterilizing gas/air mixture withdrawn from the sterilizing chamber is predried in a precooler; the predried sterilizing gas/air mixture is freed from residual moisture in a drier, the sterilizing gas liquefied in a low-temperature condenser and stored in a storage container until reuse in the sterilizing chamber. The sterilizing and the entire recovery of the sterilizing gas takes place at pressures beneath the atmospheric pressure surrounding the apparatus.

Abstract: A solvent recovery apparatus, in particular, for manufacturing apparatus of web-like materials, preferably sound tapes and video tapes, is equipped with a heat exchanger which returns a preferably larger portion of a gas prepurified of solvents downstream of a solvent separator via a line and heats it against the flow of the solvent-charged gas from the drier in order to return the preheated larger portion into the drier; a preferably smaller portion of the prepurified gas is freed from remaining solvent residues downstream of the solvent separator in a cryogenic apparatus, supplemented with a thereby vaporized part of inert gas in order to subsequently be supplied to transfer chambers of the drier to produce there a positive gas flow directed both into the drier and to the outside. The proposed method can be carried out on the apparatus describe.

Abstract: A solvent condenser for an apparatus for recovering solvent from a carrier gas/solvent mixture is formed by at least one flooded evaporator.