Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP
Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP

Inorganic raw materials and material cycles

We convert inorganic raw materials and recycled materials into building materials

In Germany, approximately 350 million tons of waste is generated every year, with over 50% coming from the construction industry. At the same time, people in Germany consume three times as much raw material as can be obtained from natural deposits. Therefore, it is high time to plow valuable waste flows back into the production process. We develop sustainable recycling concepts for building rubble, slags from steel mills, or ashes from waste incineration plants and other inorganic residues and, together with our customers, transform them into marketable products. We implement innovative processing methods in order to use slags, refractory concretes and waste from landfills or mines as raw materials specifically for the building materials sector.

 

© Shutterstock/Sytilin Pavel

Building rubble

For some, it's just a demolished building. For us, it is a supply of a versatile secondary raw material which we can use to develop new, high-quality building materials for you.

Building rubble
 

© Shutterstock / ekki

Ashes and slags

From yesterday’s waste, we develop sustainable building materials for urban spaces for today, such as paving stones for pedestrianized zones, without losing sight of environmental issues.

Ashes and Slags
 

© Fraunhofer IBP

Refractory materials

We breathe new life into refractory concretes and ceramic residues from industry and recycle them for use in demanding industrial applications.

Refractory Materials
 

© Shutterstock / Martin Designer

Plaster

We make sure that gypsum - an increasingly scarce building material - does not end up as landfill waste but instead returned to the production cycle as a high-quality raw material.

Recycling gypsum
 

© Shutterstock / Aleksashka

Masonry rubble

When buildings are demolished, masonry rubble containing brick is generated. The inhomogeneous nature of this rubble is often considered a hurdle to recycling. We, on the other hand, see this rather as a challenge and develop sustainable, resource-efficient building materials made from recycled brick.

Masonry Rubble
 

© Shutterstock / AevanStock

High-carbon residues

Residual materials from pyrolysis processes such as coal or recovered carbon black (rCB) contain significant amounts of carbon as well as minerals and metallic constituents. Processed appropriately, these materials can be utilized as raw materials, adding value through their use in new applications.

Carbon-rich Residues