Researchers from Sheffield University in the U.K. have demonstrated that the rubble from buildings destroyed amid an ongoing war in Syria — which has reportedly left more than 130,000 buildings destroyed — can be used in lieu of raw materials in the making of concrete.

According to the researchers, this is the first time it has been proven that recycled concrete aggregate can be used as a sustainable alternative to the raw materials typically used in the manufacture of concrete.

Based on measurements of the chemical and physical properties of the aggregate, researchers suggest that as much as 50% of the raw material used in the making of concrete can be replaced with recovered rubble without dramatically impacting its performance.

A previous barrier to reusing materials like rubble to manufacture concrete included the concern over whether the finished product would be as strong and as reliable as traditional concrete. However, the researchers concluded that the material could potentially be used to help rebuild Syria.

The process for reusing rubble in the making of concrete is detailed in the article, Rebuilding Syria from the Rubble: Recycled Concrete Aggregate from War-Destroyed Buildings, which appears in the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.