Academics from Ukraine visited the University of Leeds as part of a pioneering project aimed at accelerating their country’s recovery and making its reconstruction more eco-friendly.
The Safe, Sustainable, and Swift Reconstruction of Ukraine (S3RoU) is an innovative collaboration between British, Ukrainian, and Dutch organisations. It is tackling the urgent challenge of safely recycling concrete by upcycling some of the vast amounts of rubble left behind by the ongoing war into sustainable, high-quality building materials. Its cutting-edge research into reusing demolition waste to make new concrete could dramatically reduce the carbon emissions of reconstructing the hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed by Russian forces.
The two engineers, from Lviv Polytechnic National University, got to grips with some of Leeds’ world-leading equipment and technology, toured the facilities and shared updates on the scheme with the project’s technical lead, Professor Theodore Hanein, Chair of Construction Materials Science at Leeds, and Leon Black, Professor of Infrastructure Materials at Leeds.
The aim of the visit by Associate Professor Oleksii Hunyak and Professor Taras Markiv - in addition to strengthening ties between the two institutions - was to share expertise on recycling end-of-life concrete and receive training on how to analyse and assess its properties. During their stay the researchers underwent training on the university’s electron microscope, used for inspecting and characterising concrete samples, as well as using specialist kilns for preparing new cements. They also visited project partners at the University of Sheffield.
Cutting-edge technology
Professor Markiv said: “Our partners at the University of Leeds generously shared their expertise on how to properly prepare samples for observation under the electron microscope, enabling more detailed analysis. Upon returning to Ukraine, we plan to share this knowledge with our colleagues. Developing technology to transform rubble into new concrete represents a cutting-edge advancement in the field, and we are excited to contribute to its progress.”
Dr Hunyak said: “This visit was an important step in strengthening our collaboration with leading UK universities, particularly the University of Leeds and the University of Sheffield. It has been a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field of sustainable construction and the recycling of construction rubble.”
Dr Hunyak, whose own home in Lviv narrowly escaped being reduced to rubble when a rocket shell exploded about 100 metres away from it, added: “We believe that this project will directly contribute to the safe and rapid recovery of Ukraine by helping us transform demolition debris into a resource for resilient rebuilding.”
Rebuilding Ukraine is a huge task with serious environmental implications. Globally, the construction sector struggles to reduce its carbon footprint — not only from cement production but also from managing demolition waste. Conventional methods adopt low-grade uses like backfill or landscaping, wasting valuable materials and missing opportunities for environmental gains. The S3RoU project, funded through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s InnovateUkraine initiative, with a £16m investment from the UK Government, seeks to transform this.
Mobile rubble recycling
At its core is a mobile production line specifically designed to be deployed and tested directly in Ukraine. A mobile “advanced dry recovery” processor, which fits on the back of a lorry, travels from bombsite to bombsite to recycle the materials on-site. At each location it upcycles concrete debris from bombed buildings into new concrete by separating the damaged material into its constituent parts, including sand, stone and cement. Dr Hunyak and the team at Lviv have been analysing these materials in their research into the properties of recycled concrete aggregates, which also looks at ways they could be used in new building materials.
We believe that this project will directly contribute to the safe and rapid recovery of Ukraine by helping us transform demolition debris into a resource for resilient rebuilding.
The University of Leeds is conducting thermochemistry experiments to understand the potential of closed-loop recycling - a continuous cycle with minimal waste - of concrete from construction and demolition waste: using it to produce new concrete.
Professor Black said: “This visit was a valuable opportunity for all of us to share knowledge and deepen our understanding of the challenges and opportunities in supporting Ukraine’s post-war recovery, while promoting environmentally sustainable rebuilding practices.”
During their visit, the researchers met Alex Sobel, MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ukraine.
He said: “Having just returned from Ukraine I’ve seen firsthand the devastation wrought by Russian aggression and the immediate need for reconstruction.
“This project will reclaim so many building materials which are of vital need for the reconstruction of Ukraine.”
Four Ukrainian organisations are partners on the scheme: Lviv Polytechnic National University; National University of Water and Environmental Engineering; Eco+Logic and ReThink NGO. Other collaborators include the University of Sheffield, University of Oxford, Imperial College London and Dutch firm C2CA.
It is hoped the technologies developed by S3RoU can be used globally in post-conflict and end-of-life infrastructure reconstruction, hastening recoveries and contributing to greener futures, as well as in areas affected by disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
Force for change
Professor Nick Plant, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at Leeds said: “Collaboration and knowledge exchange are at the heart of our research mission, and this visit represents a key opportunity to learn from one another and share best practices. The aim of S3RoU—to upcycle war‑damaged concrete into safe, low‑carbon construction materials—aligns with our commitments to sustainability and global responsibility and exemplifies what we believe research should strive for: transforming challenge into shared learning, innovation and impact.
“It is an honour to welcome our Ukrainian colleagues to Leeds and this partnership highlights how academia can be a force for positive change, especially in times of crisis.”
Further information
Main image (L-R): Dr Oleksii Hunyak, Professor Taras Markiv and Professor Leon Black look at recycled concrete after separating the cement, sand and gravel - all of which can be reused to make fresh concrete.
For more information contact press officer Deb Newman via d.newman@leeds.ac.uk