Patent ID: 8765660

Claim:
A method for removing a surfactant from a polar solid, said method comprising: contacting a surfactant-containing porous polar solid with an initial extraction agent under conditions sufficient to remove at least a portion of a surfactant from the pores of said surfactant-containing polar solid, wherein said initial extraction agent comprises water and a salt, wherein said initial extraction agent comprises a polar organic compound that is capable of at least partially solubilizing the surfactant, wherein said polar organic compound is selected from the group consisting of THF, one or more alcohols, one or more pyridines, one or more ketones, one or more aldehydes, one or more amides, and combinations thereof, wherein said salt is selected from the group consisting of NaCl, NaNO 3 , Na 2 SO 4 , (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , MgSO 4 , Mg(NO 3 ) 2 , CaCl 2 , Ca(NO 3 ) 2 , La(NO) 3 , Ce(NO 3 ) 4 , LaCl 3 , CeCl 4 , AlCl 3 , Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 , and mixtures thereof.