The present invention generally relates to polymeric materials pulverization. More particularly, the present invention relates to an extrusion method and device for producing particulate deformed polymers having a more useful resultant devulcanized surface area for downstream industrial usage. Specifically, the present invention relates to a pulverization extrusion method and device that utilizes the herein described specific combination of variable feed screw torque and variable main screw speed together with coupled temperature control of the extruder barrel and extruder main screw.

A method of devulcanizing vulcanized rubber is described. The method includes steps of: (a) providing at least one vulcanized rubber composition; (b) grinding the vulcanized rubber into chips or pellets; (c) mixing the ground rubber obtained from step (b) in such a way as to homogenize the form and temperature of same; (d) carrying out a non-degrading mechanical treatment on the mixed rubber at the end of step (c) to obtain a polymeric composite. Also described is a thermoplastic material and an elastomeric mixture which comprise, in the formulation of same, at least one polymeric composite obtained by this method of devulcanization.

A process for the extraction of one or more colour pigments from waste plastic in which a waste plastic feedstock is mixed with a solvent in a reactor having a shearing mechanism and the solvent is separated out and recycled in the process. The shearing mechanism provides high shear, high contact mixing so as to move the pigment to the surface of the plastic for contact with the solvent to give efficient colour pigment removal. Embodiments of reactors with shearing mechanisms are described. Environmentally friendly solvents are also described. The process gives highly sought after natural recyclate at a commercial scale.

The present disclosure provides a composite material comprising a homogenous blend of (a) at least about 40% w/w of non-plastic organic matter out of a total weight of the composite material, said non-plastic organic matter comprising at least cellulose; (b) between about 5% w/w and about 60% w/w plastic matter out of a total weight of said composite material, said plastic matter comprising a plurality of synthetic thermoplastic polymers; and (c) up to 15% w/w inorganic matter; wherein said composite material comprises aryl containing synthetic polymers in an amount of less than 10% out of the total weight of said composite material; and wherein said composite material is characterized by at least one of the following properties: (i) it has a notched izod impact of at least 15 h/m; and (ii) a sample of said composite material that has been subjected to injection molding has at least one of tensile strength of at least 8 MPa; and flexural strength of at least 15 MPa. Also provided is a method of preparing the composite material, the method involving use of heterogenous intake material that comprises aryl-containing synthetic polymers in an amount of less than 10% out of the total weight of said composite material; and to methods of producing articles of manufacture from the composite material.