Abstract: A method is described for the recovery of high yields of monomers from waste and scrape polymeric materials with minimal amounts of char and tar. The process involves heating the polymer at a heating rate of at least 500.degree. C./sec in a flow-through reactor. Heating is accomplished by contacting the polymer with a heat transfer material such as hot incandescent sand. A flow-through reactor is used to provide the high heating rates and short reactor residence times for the monomer product. The flow through reactor may be a circulating fluidized bed reactor, an entrainment reactor, a cyclonic reactor or a gravity reactor.

Abstract: A nested fiber gas burner is formed with a burner body having an inlet on one end and a burner port on the other end. A mat of fibers is formed from discrete fibers of material randomly deposited into a mold having the general configuration of the burner port. After the fibers are deposited in the mold to a depth of about 0.5 inch, they are heated to a temperature of about 1200.degree. C. for about two hours, which causes the fibers to bond together. Thus bonded, the fiber mat is secured in place in the burner port.

Abstract: A method is described for the recovery of high yields of monomers from waste and scrape polymeric materials with minimal amounts of char and tar. The process involves pyrolysis in a circulating fluid bed (CFB). The polymer is heated to a temperature of about 650.degree.C. to about 1000.degree.C. at a rate of more than 500.degree.C./sec in less than two seconds. Heat is supplied to the CFB by a stream of hot sand heated in a separate combustor. The sand is also used as the circulating fluid bed material of the CFB. The process is essentially devoid of solid carbon char and non-monomeric liquid products.