Helix Carbon pitches a way to cut ironmaking costs by recycling furnace CO2

The startup says its system could reduce coke use and lower costs without asking steelmakers to rebuild blast furnaces.

Helix Carbon says it can cut emissions from ironmaking by recycling blast-furnace CO2 back into the furnace as carbon monoxide, rather than trying to replace blast furnaces outright. The startup says its electrolyzer can work on the full exhaust stream from a blast furnace, unlike most systems that need purified CO2 first. Helix is initially targeting a 33% reduction in coke use, which it says would save iron makers $14 per ton of iron. The pitch matters because iron and steel are a $2 trillion market and the company is positioning the same CO2-utilization approach for specialty chemicals revenue before broader adoption in steel. Helix Carbon presented the idea live at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield in San Francisco during the week of October 13-15.