UK: Reclinker, a Wales-based company that turns demolition waste into low-carbon cement, has secured €11m in funding to take its process from trial through to full commercial production. The new funding will scale production at the company’s facility in Cardiff and create new jobs. The technology has been proven through trials at 7 Steel UK’s Cardiff plant, with first commercial sales already secured. Reclinker’s process was developed at the University of Cambridge. It recovers cement paste from construction demolition waste and turns it back into clinker inside the electric arc furnaces already used to recycle steel, producing new cement and recycled steel simultaneously. The process requires no kiln, no quarried limestone and no fossil-fuel-driven heat. The material produced is expected to deliver an ‘immediate’ 50% reduction in emissions, with further reductions as the technology scales. The company said it will be at cost parity with conventional cement.
Bill Yost, CEO of Reclinker, said “We are thrilled to have received backing from both our existing and incoming investors. This oversubscribed round sends a strong signal that UK investors are serious about decarbonisation. We are particularly glad this investment will support the growth of green industries in Wales.”
