Reclinker Raises £10m to Turn Demolition Waste Back into Cement
Reclinker, a startup that turns demolition waste back into cement, has raised £10m in a Series A round. It will use the funding to transition from trials to full commercial production in Cardiff. The company claims its process cuts cement emissions by half, at the same cost as conventional cement.
Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures co-led the investment round, with support from the Development Bank of Wales, Kibo Invest, Zero Carbon Capital, Cambridge Enterprise, and existing investor, Zero Carbon Capital. Chief executive Bill Yost noted the round was oversubscribed.
"This oversubscribed round sends a strong signal that UK investors are serious about decarbonisation," said Yost.
Cement without a Kiln
Cement production accounts for approximately 7% of global CO₂ emissions, exceeding even aviation emissions by threefold. The majority of these emissions stem from manufacturing clinker, cement's primary ingredient, through energy-intensive kilns that release CO₂ from both the limestone and fossil fuels used to power them.
Reclinker’s innovative process, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, recovers old cement paste from demolished buildings and recycles it into new clinker using electric arc furnaces already employed for scrap steel recycling. This dual-purpose approach eliminates the need for a kiln, quarried limestone, and fossil fuel heat, achieving a 50% reduction in emissions, according to Reclinker (TNW has not independently verified these figures).
Other Heavy Industries Joining the Recycle Effort
Reclinker is part of a growing trend among heavy industries recycling their own waste into new materials. Porsche, for example, recently developed a battery cell with a recycled cathode made from its own spent packs.
From Trials to Sales
Reclinker has successfully produced thousands of tonnes of its product at 7 Steel UK’s plant in Cardiff and secured its initial commercial sales. They target a significant gap in the market as traditional blast-furnace slag, currently used for low-carbon cement blends, becomes scarce due to steelmakers transitioning away from blast furnaces.
“By investing alongside specialist climate technology investors, we’re helping Reclinker establish and grow its presence here,” said Gareth Mayhead of the Development Bank of Wales.
The funding will also enable Reclinker to expand its process to other electric arc furnace sites in Europe and the US.
A Booming Sector
Construction technology has been attracting significant investment this fall. Notable rounds include SoftBank's $225 million investment in autonomous construction firm ASI in September and Gravis Robotics securing a $200 million Series A led by SoftBank a month prior.
"Cement is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize, with emissions deeply embedded in both process chemistry and energy use," said Stephen Price, an investment partner at Clean Growth Fund.