Research project
Safe, Sustainable, and Swift Reconstruction of Ukraine (S3RoU)
- Start date: 1 June 2024
- End date: 1 June 2026
- Funder: FCDO
- Value: £3,247,111
- Partners and collaborators: The University of Sheffield, Eco+Logic, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Everox, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford, Lviv Polytechnic National University, ReThink Ukraine
- Primary investigator: Professor Leon Black
- Co-investigators: Prof. Theodore Hanein
- Postgraduate researchers: rknt859, cenaalj
- Postgraduate research fellows: Dr Hassan Alabdrabalameer
The escalation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has destroyed Ukraine's infrastructure through continuous shelling and missile attacks with the forecasted cost of rebuilding being several times higher than national GDP (World Bank). Alongside the immense human cost, the destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure has created huge amounts of rubble, currently estimated to be about 1.4 billion tons as of March 2023. The rubble presents an additional challenge due to being high in asbestos. This project, titled Safe, Sustainable, and Swift Reconstruction of Ukraine (S3RoU), aims to upcycle this vast quantity of rubble available into low-energy and low-carbon construction materials.
The project brings together academic and industry partners from across the UK, The Netherlands, and Ukraine to enable the safe and practical reuse of Ukraine’s rubble, turning a major post-conflict challenge into a resource for sustainable reconstruction. In this way it creates a circular economy as well as the development of technologies that can be adopted in other post-conflict or disaster situations. S3RoU will also help the UK reach its net zero target.
Impact
S3RoU will enable the safe and practical reuse of Ukraine’s rubble, turning a major post-conflict challenge into a resource for sustainable reconstruction.
Using rapid, on-site characterisation techniques, rubble will first be assessed and safely separated, including distinguishing alkali-activated materials from conventional concrete. Conventional concrete will then be processed through a modular, mobile treatment plant that can be quickly deployed and operated locally, supporting fast scale-up while reducing the need for long-distance transport.
The processed material will be separated into components of different particle sizes and repurposed in multiple ways: as recycled aggregates, as supplementary materials for direct concrete production, or as feedstock for low-carbon cement manufacturing using electrified processes.
In parallel, the environmental and cost impacts of each pathway will be assessed to ensure solutions are both sustainable and economically viable. The project will culminate in the development of a decision-making toolbox that links rubble characteristics to the most appropriate upcycling routes.
While designed for Ukraine’s reconstruction, this toolbox will have far wider relevance — supporting recovery after natural disasters such as earthquakes, and helping countries across Europe and beyond manage construction and demolition waste as ageing infrastructure reaches the end of its life.
Alongside the technical work, S3RoU will place strong emphasis on awareness-raising and capacity building, addressing asbestos safety, circular economy principles, and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). By engaging local authorities, industry, and communities in Ukraine and internationally, the project will help embed sustainability and social responsibility into reconstruction and infrastructure development.
Publications and outputs
https://s3rou.webflow.io/swift-reconstruction-conference
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10097027#/tabOverview
https://sheffield.ac.uk/mac/news/rubble-green-building-materials-uk-ukraine-project-launched
https://constructive-voices.com/rebuilding-ukraine-s3-circular-economy/