Helix Carbon, a startup presenting at TechCrunch Disrupt, argues that decarbonizing steel requires fixing the blast furnace, not replacing it. Its technology uses an electrolyzer to strip an oxygen atom from waste carbon dioxide, producing carbon monoxide that can be fed back into the furnace. That recycled gas can substitute for some of the coke normally burned in the process, cutting both emissions and input costs.
The company says replacing 33% of coke would save iron producers $14 per ton. That figure matters because profit margins in ironmaking are notoriously thin, though the exact potential for coke reduction is still debated—scientific studies range from 30% to 90% elimination. Helix Carbon is starting with the more conservative 33% target.
Iron and steel together form a roughly $2 trillion market, but the industry adopts new technology slowly because blast furnaces can last over a century. To generate earlier revenue, Helix Carbon plans to sell its system to specialty chemical makers first, using waste CO2 streams to produce chemicals on-site rather than waiting for steel industry adoption.