Method for making aliphatic diisocyanates

A method for making an aliphatic diisocyanate by (a) phosgenating an aliphatic diamine in the presence of an inert solvent or gas to form a crude reaction mixture; (b) distilling the crude reaction mixture to form an aliphatic diisocyanate production stream and an aliphatic diisocyanate waste stream; (c) introducing the aliphatic diisocyanate waste stream to a chamber and placing the waste stream under supercritical fluid conditions sufficient to dissolve an appreciable amount of the aliphatic diisocyanate component in the supercritical fluid; (d) separating the dissolved aliphatic diisocyanate component from the waste stream, wherein the remaining waste stream is a supercritically-purged aliphatic diisocyanate waste stream; (e) lowering the pressure sufficiently to precipitate the aliphatic diisocyanate component.