Plastic Products Containing Superabsorbents  Hard-to-dispose-of construction waste becomes a valuable resource

LaMa Recycling GmbH has developed a process that allows for the cost-effective recycling of plastic products containing superabsorbent polymers. With this, the startup is tapping into a previously unaddressed material stream and will showcase its technology for the first time at Fakuma 2026.

For young companies, Fakuma 2026 will once again feature a dedicated startup area. There, suppliers with new products and concepts for industrial plastics processing can showcase their innovations to an international audience of industry professionals. The format is aimed in particular at companies that are still in the early stages of market development.

Start-ups can also be found elsewhere in Friedrichshafen, such as at the Bayern Innovativ joint booth. There, LaMa Recycling GmbH is presenting its technology to a broad audience for the first time. The Würzburg-based startup develops and markets patented processes for recycling plastic products containing superabsorbents, particularly those from the construction sector.

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) are widely used in the construction industry—they are found in drainage membranes, sealing mats, geotextiles, and other construction products used wherever water needs to be drained in a controlled manner or permanently kept out. Once these products reach the end of their useful life, their processing currently poses insurmountable problems for the recycling industry: The combination of a plastic carrier material and a superabsorbent makes processing using conventional methods impossible.

Ready for scaling: 200 kg/h with reliable production

LaMa Recycling GmbH has published an updated recycling process, for which a patent has been filed and which represents a major breakthrough: Plastic products containing superabsorbents are processed into high-quality regranulate that can be reused in production—without the superabsorbent interfering with the recycling process. What was previously considered non-recyclable thus becomes a secondary raw material.

The processing works not only in the laboratory but also reliably on an industrial scale. With a throughput of 200 kg/h, the company is ready to bring the technology to market—and thereby tap into a material stream for which there has been no economical solution to date.

Also conceivable for other materials

“We are convinced that the circular economy will only work if we find a solution even for the difficult material streams,” says Dr. Marieluise Lang, co-founder of LaMa Recycling GmbH. Construction products containing superabsorbents are exactly such a case—and the startup has set out to solve it. 

“With our technology, however, we can also process other technical materials. We’re learning every day just how much is possible,” Lang continues. The technology is also receiving funding through the EXIST technology transfer program until mid-2027. (me)