Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extractions of paraffin-based wax coatings from saturated and curtain-coated old corrugated containers (OCC) are reported. Extractions were performed in a 500-mL reactor (300 bar, 100degreesC, 50 g CO2/min and 1 h). Wax removal efficiencies of 98 and 70% for saturated and curtain-coated OCC, respectively, were obtained. Under similar conditions, extractions in the presence of water resulted in an extraction efficiency of 99% for saturated OCC. Decreasing the operating pressure to 200 bar decreased the extraction efficiency to approximately 50%. Gas chromatography (GC) of the wax coatings on OCC, before and after extraction with SC-CO2, showed a slight shift in the molecular weight distribution of the paraffin wax (after SC-CO2 extraction) toward higher molecular weights for both saturating wax and curtain-coating wax. There was no evidence of chemical degradation or modification of the paraffin wax coatings by SC-CO2. The packing density, packing arrangement, and dimensions of the curtain-coated OCC in the extraction apparatus affected the extraction efficiency. Loose packing compared to tight packing, 1 X 1 cm squares versus 1 X 20 cm strips, had higher extraction efficiencies; a random packing arrangement was better than packing with the fluting material in the direction of SC-CO2 flow.