Reactive extrusion (REX) is based on the use of an extruder as a continuous chemical reactor to perform several standard processes in the polymer industry in a single step, including polymer synthesis and modification, as well as additivation, reinforcement and removal of volatile by-products. The result is a tailor-made material suitable for further processing in a range of transformation processes, such as plastic injection moulding and extrusion.
One of the advantages of reactive extrusion is that reactions are performed without solvents or with a minimal amount compared to traditional batch polymerization processes. The result is a considerable reduction in costs and emissions, thus making the process more sustainable.
Reactive extrusion is suitable for fast reactions that do not require very long residence times (< 15-20 min).
