TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ENVIRONMENT - Preferred Mixture: The plant residue is a material from which at least one component has previously been separated. It preferably comprises roots, leaves, stems, flowers and/or fruit. Typical plant residues can be derived e.g. from palm oil and olive oil production and the processing of vegetables, e.g. potatoes, fruit, especially apples, and sugar beet. The mixture also conveniently contains a natural and/or modified polysaccharide, especially cellulose, starch, a cellulose ether, preferably carboxymethylcellulose, ethylcellulose, ethylhydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose or carboxymethylhydroxyethylcellulose and/or an oxidized anionic starch or anionic starch ether.Preparation: The mixture is produced by treating a plant residue and optionally water with the polymerisate(s). Suitably, plant material is comminuted prior to the separation of the component(s) and the polymerisate is added during the comminution and/or before, during and/or especially after the separation. The polymerisate is used in an amount of 0.1-10% by weight (wt.%), especially 0.2-5 wt.%, particularly 0.25-2.5 wt.%, based on the plant residue and optionally water. Also, it is used in the form of a powder having a particle size distribution of 10-10,000 micrometers, especially 10-5,000 micrometers, particularly 10-3,500 micrometers, and/or a water-in-oil dispersion.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Polymerisate: The polymerisate is synthesized from:(1) 55-99.9 wt.% ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomer(s) containing acid groups (present to at least 25 mol% as a salt);(2) 0.01-5 wt.% cross-linking agent; and optionally(3) up to 40 wt.% of a further ethylenically unsaturated monomer which is copolymerisable with a); and(4) up to 30 wt.% water-soluble polymers. EXAMPLE - Stockosorb 410 (polymerisate) (10 g) was stirred into a fresh plant residue (200 g) which resulted after separation of the oil phase in the 2-phase process for the production of olive oil. The mixture formed a friable solid after 2 minutes.