Industrial technology firm Reclinker has secured £10 million ($13.2 million) in Series A funding to expand commercial production of its low-carbon cement recycling process at 7 Steel UK’s manufacturing facility in Cardiff.
The funding round was co-led by climate technology investors Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures, with additional participation from the Development Bank of Wales, Zero Carbon Capital, and Cambridge Enterprise.
Developed at the University of Cambridge, Reclinker’s process extracts cement paste from construction demolition waste and re-processes it into clinker inside electric arc furnaces (EAFs) currently used for steel recycling. The dual-production method eliminates the need for fossil-fueled kilns or newly quarried limestone, yielding an immediate 50 per cent reduction in process emissions at cost parity with traditional Portland cement.
The investment capital will expand production capacity in South Wales, generate local green jobs, and support the replication of the technology across additional EAF sites in Europe and the United States.
Commercial and operational highlights include:
- Market gap replacement: The process generates cementitious slag to replace blast-furnace slag, an ingredient used in low-carbon cement blends that is declining in supply as steelmakers transition away from traditional blast furnaces.
- Commercial validation: Reclinker has produced thousands of tonnes of recycled clinker at the Cardiff plant, secured initial commercial sales, and gained validation under the Innovate UK Advance Market Commitment.
- Environmental impact: Cement production currently accounts for roughly 7 per cent of global carbon emissions, primarily driven by limestone calcination and high-temperature kiln operations.
Bill Yost, Chief Executive Officer of Reclinker, stated that the funding round demonstrates strong investor commitment to industrial decarbonisation while anchoring clean technology manufacturing within Wales.
Stephen Price, Investment Partner at Clean Growth Fund, and Andrew Hinkly, Managing Partner at AP Ventures, noted that integrating cement recycling directly into existing steelmaking infrastructure provides a scalable, capital-efficient framework to reduce industrial carbon intensity.
Gareth Mayhead of the Development Bank of Wales and Gabriella Nizam, Head of Sustainability and Public Affairs at 7 Steel UK, added that the co-investment establishes a regional hub for industrial symbiosis while expanding green manufacturing capabilities in South Wales.
