- University of Sheffield researchers have found a way to recycle concrete rubble to help rebuild key infrastructure in Syria quicker and more sustainably
- Study shows for the first time that recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) made from rubble of destroyed buildings in Syria can replace up to 50 per cent of the raw materials used to make new concrete without significantly affecting its performance
- Researchers have been collaborating with exiled Syrian academics for the past four years to find new ways of reusing the huge amounts of rubble left behind by the civil war
- Guidelines could now also help Syria recover from the devastating earthquake as well as support other countries rebuilding from war and natural disasters
Concrete rubble left behind by war could be recycled and used to help rebuild key infrastructure quicker and more sustainably, according to new research from the University of Sheffield.
The study, led by Dr Theodore Hanein and Professor John Provis from the University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has proven for the first time that recycled concrete aggregate - made from the rubble of war-destroyed buildings in Syria - can be used as a sustainable alternative to the raw materials in concrete.
The research, published in the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, proves that the rubble could replace up to 50 per cent of the raw materials used in concrete without significantly affecting its performance.
Dr Theodore Hanein, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Sheffield, said: "Sadly, the ongoing civil war in Syria has left more than 130,000 buildings destroyed, and now after the devastating earthquake even more buildings have been damaged or destroyed in northern parts of the country. For the past four years we've been working with Syrian academics to find ways of reusing the vast amount of rubble that has been left behind by the war and we have now found a way to recycle it that could help the country recover once it comes to the time of rebuilding.
"One of the big barriers to reusing materials to make new concrete is determining whether the final product will be as strong and reliable as concrete produced in the traditional way. Our paper shows how this can be done in Syria, with the potential to replicate this work around the world."
