Rebuilding green: UK and Ukraine team up to turn war rubble into eco-friendly building materials

What's the problem?

Russia's full-scale invasion has left behind massive destruction — tens of millions of tons of construction debris. This waste burdens the environment and drags down the Ukrainian economy. According to the World Bank, rebuilding the damaged infrastructure will cost around $400 billion, more than double Ukraine's GDP in 2022.

Rebuilding Ukraine is a massive task with severe environmental consequences. The global construction industry already struggles with the environmental impact of cement production and the disposal of construction waste. It often recycles concrete for low-value purposes like landscaping or road filler, wasting valuable resources and reducing the potential benefits of reuse.

What's the solution?

A new project called "Safe, Sustainable, and Swift Reconstruction of Ukraine" (S3) aims to change how concrete debris is managed during reconstruction. Partnering with British and Dutch organizations, Ukrainians will transform war-damaged concrete into high-quality components.

How does it work?

The S3 project brought together experts from the University of Sheffield, the University of Leeds, the Ukrainian nonprofit organization ReThink, Oxford University, Imperial College London, the Dutch upcycling company C2CA, Lviv Polytechnic National University, the National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, and Eco+Logic.

S3 also won the InnovateUkraine competition, which was funded by the UK's Department for International Development and supported by the British Embassy in Ukraine.

What's the S3 project about?

This initiative offers a simple and eco-friendly approach to reusing concrete, helping Ukraine rebuild while reducing its environmental impact. The key innovation is building and testing a mobile production line — a specially equipped truck. This system processes recycled concrete into high-value, energy-efficient, low-carbon building materials. It cuts energy costs, lowers CO2 emissions, and embraces a circular approach in construction, reducing waste and maximizing local resources for Ukraine's reconstruction. The project also addresses the safe recycling of concrete and asbestos management.

"We will develop and demonstrate innovative technologies that can be applied globally for infrastructure recovery after disasters or conflicts, as well as for restoring outdated buildings," said Professor Theodore Hanein, Chair of the Construction Materials Science Department at the University of Leeds.

The project focuses on developing innovative technologies in five key areas:

1. Quick identification of recyclable concrete.
2. Mobile equipment for on-site concrete separation.
3. Optimizing processes for recycling individual components.
4. Life cycle analysis to maximize value at every stage.
5. Public awareness campaigns on gender inclusion, asbestos hazards, and the benefits of reusing materials previously considered waste.

The project is expected to speed up Ukraine's recovery and contribute to a sustainable future both in Ukraine and beyond.

"The innovative system was developed by C2CA, a company that emerged from research and experiments of the Delft University of Technology," says Roman Puchko, ReThink co-founder and executive director and a co-initiator of the S3 project. "The core of the process is in the step-by-step separation of concrete components, all the way down to extracting the cement paste. Since cement accounts for 8-10% of global CO2 emissions, reusing it is far more crucial than simply crushing the concrete and using it as road filler."

Will it really work?

Roman Puchko explains that the percentage of reused or recycled materials varies greatly depending on the type of building and whether it's a case of destruction or planned demolition. It's possible to recycle 100% of the materials in demolition cases, though their value and potential use may differ. The recovery rate may be significantly lower for mixed debris from war damage, possibly around 60%.

"The mobile unit will produce materials similar to crushed stone and sand but made from recycled concrete," says ReThink co-founder. "We also hope to test separating cement as part of this project. This kind of recycling will save fossil resources and increase the supply of materials on the market. In terms of speeding up reconstruction, it's relative. However, the more high-quality, eco-friendly materials available locally at the destruction sites, the better."

According to Puchko, the project's first results can be expected as early as summer 2025. Rubryka will definitely follow up to see how effective this solution is.