Inert stripping of volatile organic compounds from polymer melts

A method of removing VOCs from a molten polymer comprising: (a) polymerizing monomers in a reactor to produce a reaction mixture comprising unreacted monomers and molten polymer, (b) removing a portion of unreacted monomers from at least a portion of the reaction mixture to produce recovered monomers and degassed molten polymer, wherein the degassed molten polymer comprises VOCs, (c) contacting at least a portion of the degassed molten polymer with an inert stripping agent at a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure to produce stripped molten polymer and spent stripping agent, wherein the inert stripping agent is insoluble in the degassed molten polymer, and wherein the spent stripping agent comprises at least a portion of the inert stripping agent and at least a portion of the VOCs from the degassed molten polymer, and (d) cooling at least a portion of the stripped molten polymer and forming polymer pellets.