Legacy Contaminants with Economic Implications

Asbestos is still present in approximately three-quarters of all buildings constructed or renovated between 1930 and 1993.[1] According to the German Environment Agency, asbestos was used in more than 3,000 construction products.[2] Many of these materials are thus found in buildings that are now at the center of energy-efficient renovation.

Asbestos is generally not visible to the naked eye. During modernization projects, it is often discovered only after demolition equipment and construction crews have already arrived on site. The consequences range from abrupt construction stoppages and costly change orders to extensive disposal detours. Comprehensive assessments alone can take three weeks or more, during which work on the construction sites remains suspended. For project developers and construction companies, this results in delays, contractual penalties, and rising financing costs. In large-scale projects, downtime can quickly accumulate to six-figure sums. In a market where speed increasingly determines competitiveness, asbestos thus becomes a strategic risk factor.
 

Regulatory Pressure Increases Testing Demand

Since 2023, Germany’s Substitute Building Materials Ordinance has required proof that recycled mineral construction materials are free of asbestos. Without proper analysis, recycling is not possible. Companies therefore face a cost-intensive decision: conduct comprehensive testing or, in cases of uncertainty, dispose of materials entirely in landfills. Both options tie up capital and extend project timelines.

“Renovation projects can only be planned reliably if contaminant risks are identified at an early stage,” says Professor Philip Leistner, Director of Fraunhofer IBP. “Investment certainty is directly linked to reliable analytical methods.”
 

Fraunhofer Develops Handheld Detector for Rapid Identification

Conventional laboratory analyses are considered highly precise but remain time-consuming. Several weeks may pass between sampling and evaluation - during which construction sites often remain inactive. Particularly in large-scale demolition and recycling projects, traditional methods are reaching their limits.

Together with Fraunhofer IOSB, Fraunhofer IBP has developed an optical detection method that utilizes a physical property of asbestos fibers known as pleochroism. Depending on the angle of incident light, the fibers change color. Other mineral construction materials, such as concrete, gypsum, or sand-lime brick, do not exhibit this optical effect. Using automated image analysis, contaminated materials can thus be identified over large areas and without physical contact, potentially directly on construction sites or in recycling facilities in the future.

The economic impact lies primarily in time savings: “Accelerated analytics directly affect project timelines, liquidity, and investment security,” explains Dr. Volker Thome, Head of the Department of Inorganic Materials and Recycling at Fraunhofer IBP. “The earlier reliable results become available, the lower the risk of unplanned delays.” In large-scale renovation projects, even a few days can result in significant additional costs.
 

New Hazardous Materials Laboratory Expands Analytical Infrastructure

To combine on-site detection with legally compliant analysis, Fraunhofer IBP has commissioned a new hazardous substances laboratory at its Holzkirchen site. There, asbestos and other mineral contaminants are examined in accordance with current technical regulations, while new testing methods are validated.

The laboratory serves as a central infrastructure component within the “ReAsCon” project, federally funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. One key application case is the demolition of the Ludwigshafen elevated highway, where more than 300,000 tons of concrete will be generated. At such volumes, the question of “recycling or landfilling” carries major economic implications. The goal is to assess material flows more quickly and more precisely, while systematically returning asbestos-free fractions to the material cycle.

Rather than relying on blanket disposal, the combination of rapid detection and advanced laboratory analytics enables more cost-efficient recovery of large volumes of mineral construction materials. It reduces landfill costs, conserves primary raw materials, and increases the economic predictability of demolition projects. At the same time, it strengthens resource security in a market that is increasingly reliant on secondary materials.
 

Investment Security Requires Transparency

The optical detection method is still in its pilot phase. However, its economic relevance is already evident: without fast and reliable asbestos analysis, renovation of existing buildings remains a process carried out under uncertainty. In an investment environment worth billions of euros, a lack of transparency can quickly become a competitive disadvantage. The consequences affect all stakeholders along the value chain: for construction companies, they result in higher risk premiums; for investors, in rising uncertainty costs; for recycling companies, they result in additional testing costs; and for municipalities, in rising disposal expenditures.

“Asbestos is a legacy of the past, but its economic impact is felt in the present,” says Leistner. “A successful building transition requires methods that provide fast and reliable clarity on contaminants in the existing building stock.”

 

^[1] Asbestos in Existing Buildings | VDI

^[2] Asbestos | Federal Environment Agency