Reactive extrusion processes

Extrusion is a continuous process involving the shaping or transformation of polymers within a screw/barrel system. With a few rare exceptions, the mechanisms involved are purely thermomechanical, and any chemical process is to be avoided a priori. Reactive extrusion is when chemical transformations are voluntarily generated in a controlled manner. The extruder then becomes a true continuous reactor. After a presentation of the specific features, advantages and disadvantages of using the extruder as a continuous reactor, the main applications of this technology in the field of synthetic or natural polymer materials will be illustrated with examples. The fundamental principles of the reactive extrusion process and the contribution of modeling to this type of process will then be described.