The present invention provides a
plastic waste recycling process including extracting polyolefins from
polymer-containing
waste material comprising the steps of A) providing
polymer-containing
waste material comprising
polyolefin material, B) contacting the
polymer-containing
waste material with a non-polar
solvent, preferably comprising at least one optionally substituted
hydrocarbon, such as optionally halogenated
hydrocarbon, to form a composition, C) heating the composition at a
dissolution temperature (T) in the range of from 135 to 200 °C and a pressure (P) in the range of from 0.1 to 5 MPa abs. for a period of from 5 min to 5 h (M), to obtain a first solution comprising the non-polar
solvent and
polyolefin material dissolved in the non-polar
solvent, and an undissolved
solid material, D) separating the undissolved
solid material from the first solution, E1) contacting the first solution with a polar solvent having a
Hansen solubility parameter for
hydrogen bonds (δh) within the range of 4 to 15 MPa0.5, preferably a polar aprotic solvent having a
Hansen solubility parameter for
hydrogen bonds (δh) within the range of 4 to 15 MPa0.5, the polar solvent being used in an amount within the range of from 1 to 50 vol.-% relative to the volume of the first solution, and extracting polymeric non-
polyolefin material into the polar solvent, thereby obtaining a liquid /
liquid phase system comprising (i) a second solution comprising the non-polar solvent and polyolefin material dissolved in the non-polar solvent, and (ii) a third solution comprising the polar solvent and polymeric non-polyolefin material dissolved in the polar solvent, E2) separating the third solution from the second solution, wherein the sequences of steps E1) and E2) can be performed before or after step D), F) removing the non-polar solvent from the second solution to obtain polyolefin material in
solid form, and G) further treating the polyolefin material obtained in step F) in a chemical recycling process.