Reclinker raises £10m Series A to scale EAF-based cement recycling

Reclinker has closed a £10 million Series A to scale its electric arc furnace-based cement recycling process from pilot to full commercial production in Cardiff, with replication planned across additional EAF sites in Europe and the US.

The Cambridge-spinout recovers cement paste from construction and demolition waste and converts it back into clinker, cement's key ingredient, inside EAFs already used to recycle steel. Reclinker says the process produces new cement and recycled steel in parallel, with no kiln, no quarried limestone and no fossil-fuel heat.

What does the process actually replace?

Conventional clinker production depends on kilns fired at high temperatures using quarried limestone and fossil-fuel energy. Reclinker's route diverts recovered cement paste into the existing thermal environment of a steel-scrap EAF, removing the dedicated kiln step.

The company claims an immediate 50% reduction in emissions versus conventional cement at cost parity, with deeper cuts as throughput scales.

Stephen Price at Clean Growth Fund: "Reclinker's approach is a compelling example of how industrial symbiosis can unlock meaningful emissions reductions by leveraging existing infrastructure. By integrating cement production into steel recycling, the company offers a scalable and economically attractive pathway to reducing the carbon intensity of one of the world's most widely used materials."

Why is cement hard to decarbonise?

Price separately labelled cement "one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, with emissions deeply embedded in both process chemistry and energy use." Conventional clinker releases both process CO2 from limestone calcination and fuel-combustion emissions, leaving limited room for marginal efficiency gains.

Reclinker addresses the fuel side directly by reusing the EAF's existing thermal environment. The process side is reduced because recovered cement paste bypasses fresh calcination entirely.

Where does Reclinker stand commercially?

Trials at 7 Steel UK's site have produced thousands of tonnes of recycled clinker and yielded Reclinker's first commercial sales. Volumes per furnace, contract values and the share of EAF output diverted to cement recovery remain undisclosed.

The Cardiff facility is the first dedicated scale-up under the new round; Reclinker will replicate the model at additional EAF hosts in Europe and the US.

The commercial case rests on two practical claims: existing EAF capacity can absorb cement-paste feedstock without disrupting steel throughput, and recycled clinker can displace a meaningful fraction of conventional production at parity cost.

Who is behind the round?

The oversubscribed round was co-led by Clean Growth Fund, a UK climate-tech venture platform founded in 2020, and AP Ventures, with participation from Development Bank of Wales and existing backers Zero Carbon Capital and Cambridge Enterprise.

The investor mix ties the company to UK development capital, with Development Bank of Wales participation anchoring the round in Cardiff.

CEO Bill Yost read the close as a market signal on UK climate capital: "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."

What decides what happens next?

Two milestones will test the commercial thesis. The Cardiff plant must demonstrate sustained output at cost parity with conventional cement under live EAF operating conditions.

Reclinker also needs binding offtake commitments from at least one major EAF operator beyond 7 Steel UK before the European and US replication phase can shift from announced project to built capacity.

The funding close buys the company time to convert pilot throughput into a reference plant that EAF operators elsewhere can copy. Whether UK and EU procurement rules begin to favour low-carbon clinker in public works contracts, and whether EAF operators can monetise the dual revenue stream of recycled steel and recovered cement, will determine how quickly offtake scales beyond the early buyers.