30 March 2026

How plasterboard can be recycled efficiently was the focus of a new practical format at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. The „Regypsathon“ workshop took place for the first time in the winter semester 2025/2026 in cooperation with Knauf. The event was organised as part of the „Plant Planning for Recycling Technology“ course for students on the Environmental and Recycling Technology Master's degree programme and was held at the Resource Institute Nordhausen (ResIn).

In the workshop, the students investigated how the cardboard content can be separated from the plaster core of plasterboard as efficiently as possible. To do this, they tested various mechanical processes and used different commercially available tools. The aim was to gain practical experience with recycling processes and to develop new approaches for gypsum recycling in terms of the circular economy.

The topic is becoming increasingly important: with the prospective disappearance of FGD gypsum as a source of raw materials, recycled gypsum is coming more into focus as an alternative source for the building materials industry. The students therefore not only focussed on technical solutions, but also on the role of recycling processes for more sustainable building material production.

The workshop built on content from the „Urban Mining and Circular Economy“ and „Recycling of Building Materials“ courses in the Environmental and Recycling Technology degree programme. The practical project was supplemented by an excursion to the Knauf plant in Rottleberode. There, the students gained an insight into industrial gypsum production processes and were able to link the theoretical content from their studies with real production processes.

„Such formats show very clearly how scientific content and practical issues from industry can be combined,“ explains Prof Dr Sebastian Schmidt, project manager from the Environmental and Recycling Technology degree programme. „The students work directly on real challenges in the circular economy.“

The knowledge gained in the workshop is to be deepened in further laboratory tests in the coming summer semester. The aim is to systematically analyse the separation processes investigated and develop possible optimisations for the recycling of plasterboard.

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences would like to thank Knauf for its support of the workshop and the close co-operation.

About Knauf

The Knauf Group is an internationally active manufacturer of building materials and building systems with headquarters in Iphofen (Germany). The family-owned company develops and produces plasterboards, dry construction systems, insulation materials and solutions for floor and façade systems. Knauf employs tens of thousands of people worldwide and operates production and sales sites in numerous countries. The company is involved in various initiatives to promote sustainable building materials and to further develop recycling processes in the construction industry.

About Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences
Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is a state university in Thuringia with a practice-orientated range of courses in the fields of engineering, economics, social sciences and sustainability. Around 2,000 students from numerous countries are currently studying at the Weinberghof campus. Research and teaching are closely networked with regional and international partners from business, society and science. The aim of the university is to develop practical solutions for social and technological challenges.