PeroCycle Limited is a UK-based DeepTech clean-technology venture dedicated to decarbonizing foundation industries, with a primary emphasis on the global iron and steelmaking sector. Spun out of advanced research conducted at the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage at the University of Birmingham, PeroCycle is commercialized in partnership with deep-tech venture builder Cambridge Future Tech and supported by global mining company Anglo American.
The company addresses one of the most critical challenges in modern industrial decarbonization: reducing the roughly 2.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted annually by the steel industry, which accounts for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Rather than requiring the abandonment of traditional blast furnace infrastructure, PeroCycle provides an in-process, closed-loop carbon recycling solution.
Core Philosophy and Technological Approach
Traditional integrated steel manufacturing relies heavily on blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) systems and Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) processes that use coal, coke, or natural gas as reducing agents. Consequently, steelmaking generates large volumes of flue gas rich in carbon dioxide.
PeroCycle introduces a circular economy approach to steel manufacturing by converting captured industrial carbon dioxide back into carbon monoxide (CO), which is then re-injected into the blast furnace as a reductant substitute.
Key Technological Features
Perovskite Thermochemical Reactor: The core innovation consists of a specialized thermochemical reactor operating at around 800°C. The system utilizes active, double-perovskite materials (such as doped lanthanum manganites) that enable efficient thermochemical CO₂ splitting at significantly lower temperatures than conventional thermochemical processes.
Gas Separation Integration: Off-gases captured from a blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace, or DRI plant are processed through commercial gas separation systems to produce a high-concentration CO₂ stream, which feeds into the thermochemical reactor.
Chemical Conversion: Inside the reactor, CO₂ is thermochemically split into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen (O₂).
Reductant Re-injection: The generated carbon monoxide is continuously recycled into the blast furnace, reducing the reliance on virgin fossil fuels (coal and coke) and preventing carbon from entering the atmosphere.
Products, Services, and Solutions
PeroCycle offers an end-to-end industrial decarbonization technology package tailored to heavy industrial facilities.
1. Thermochemical Carbon Recycling Systems
System Design & Hardware: Proprietary thermochemical reactors tailored to retrofitting integrated steel mill layouts.
Active Materials & Catalysts: Custom double-perovskite materials engineered for low-temperature, durable thermochemical CO₂ splitting.
2. Retrofit and Industrial Integration Services
Mill Integration Architecture: Custom engineering to integrate gas separation, heat recovery, and reactor components directly into existing BF-BOF or DRI gas loops without disrupting production capacity.
Capital Preservation: Eliminates the immediate need for complete infrastructure rebuilds (such as premature shifts to full green-hydrogen systems), preserving existing capital investments and high-skilled manufacturing jobs.
3. Decarbonization and Engineering Consulting
Techno-Economic Assessments: Analysis of plant off-gases, energy integration requirements, and carbon reduction projections.
Emissions Abatement Modeling: Feasibility studies demonstrating up to 90% CO₂ reduction across integrated steel mills upon full implementation.
Operational Advantages and Environmental Impact
High CO₂ Abatement Potential: At full scale, the system is designed to abate up to 90% of carbon emissions from an integrated steel facility.
Preservation of Steel Flexibility: Unlike some alternative decarbonization methods that limit raw material choices or steel grades, recycling carbon within BF-BOF systems allows producers to maintain broad iron ore compatibility and flexible steel chemistry compositions.
Cost Efficiency: Retrofitting existing assets mitigates the financial burden of stranded assets and high capital expenditures associated with constructing entirely new greenfield plants.
Strategic Partnerships and Commercialization
PeroCycle operates at the intersection of academic research and commercial industrial deployment:
University of Birmingham: Originating institution providing ongoing academic research, material innovation, and intellectual property development.
