KAUST start-up Polymeron turns date waste into biodegradable plastics

Polymeron co-founders Martin Ibarra (left) and Rodrigo Jimenez work on their new extruder. (Photo: KAUST)

12 November 2025 – Polymeron, a startup from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) converts agricultural residues, mainly from date production and later from the poultry sector, into high-performance biodegradable plastics. Using a largely physical, patented process, the team transforms these waste streams into bio-carbon-based materials that can be blended with other biodegradable polymers. The company aims to use around 20,000 tons of waste per year, reducing both plastic pollution and landfill volumes. The materials can be processed on standard extruders and film-blowing lines, for example into agricultural films that do not generate microplastics. Polymeron is building a pilot plant on the KAUST campus and collaborating with Saudi industrial partners. In this way the start-up supports economic diversification in Saudi Arabia and a circular model where local waste becomes a valuable resource.

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