US Patent 9909069 Process for recycling oil-sorbing polymeric media

Recycling spent hydrophobic polymeric media can beneficially utilize waste oil to dissolve the media. The method employs simple equipment and materials, many or all of which are already on location in various industrial operations such as fracking operations or food production factories. The method does not call for landfilling spent media, thus reducing the environmental impact and reducing expense. Transport costs for spent media and disposal fees can likely decrease. The resulting product can be sold to refineries for further processing and repurposing, thus generating additional revenue.