UBBC attends Imperial and Sheffield University rubble innovation project

The FCDO and Innovate Ukraine have invested in developing energy innovation projects for Ukraine’s on-going energy challenges and for reconstruction. The issue in this instance is how to deal with the rubble generated by bombed and demolished buildings?

A consortium led by Sheffield University, including Lviv polytechnic, University of Oxford, Leeds Uni and National University of Water and Environment in Ukraine, Everox and Rethink, has looked at how best to recycle rubble and reduce carbon footprint.

The engineers and chemists took different aspects of the problem and separated out aggregates in old concrete. Without getting too technical (as the presentations were) the short version is that there is a big saving to be made by reusing rubble ( as low as only 8% energy use in old cement compared with fresh cement, when used as aggregate) but in splitting out the aggregates its possible to reuse the cement element and at low cost, and to reuse the harder aggregates in roads and new form concrete blocks. There is therefore a likely cost saving in reusing and an energy saving if used efficiently. However, the best benefit is on a social level, to repurpose the rubble and provide materials and work for rebuilding Ukraine. The Everox company is ready to provide machines to break up the rubble and separate into reusable aggregates, so there is a ready and useful solution to the rubble issue. We await its practical application in the field.