Helios provides the Helios Cycle™, a sodium‑based ironmaking process that produces iron from low‑grade ores with oxygen as the only by‑product. Operating at 250 °C–350 °C, the modular technology reduces energy use by about 30 % and eliminates direct CO₂ emissions when powered by renewables, allowing steelmakers to retrofit existing plants. The same chemistry also enables sustainable extraction of critical metals for terrestrial and lunar applications.
Funding
$20.5M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
The global steel industry relies on carbon‑intensive blast furnaces and high‑grade iron ore, generating up to 10 % of worldwide CO₂ emissions and facing rising ore depletion, regulatory carbon pricing, and escalating production costs.
Solution
Helios offers the Helios Cycle™, a sodium‑based ironmaking process that produces iron from a wide range of ore grades while emitting only oxygen. The technology operates at 250 °C–350 °C, consuming roughly 30 % less energy than conventional methods and eliminating direct carbon emissions when powered by renewable electricity. Because the process is modular and can be added to existing plant layouts, steelmakers can adopt it without major infrastructure changes. Helios also extends the same chemistry to extract other critical metals (copper, nickel, lithium, silicon) for both terrestrial and lunar applications, creating a unified pathway for sustainable resource utilization on Earth and in space.
Target Audience
Primary customers are integrated steel producers and iron‑making facilities seeking low‑cost, low‑emission iron, as well as mining companies and space‑resource enterprises that require sustainable extraction of metals from low‑grade ores or lunar regolith.
Features
- Sodium‑based reduction chemistry that binds oxygen to sodium, producing reusable sodium oxide and oxygen as the sole by‑product.
- Compatible with low‑grade ores and tailings, reducing dependence on scarce high‑grade iron ore.
- Operates at low temperatures (250 °C–350 °C), delivering ~30 % lower energy consumption and cost per tonne of iron.
- Zero direct CO₂ emissions when coupled with renewable power, supporting compliance with EU ETS, CBAM, and other carbon‑pricing regimes.
- Modular furnace design that integrates into existing steelmaking lines without major retrofits.
- Scalable to both terrestrial steel plants and lunar/space resource extraction (e.g., molten regolith electrolysis for oxygen and metals).
- Closed‑loop sodium recovery system that recycles the reducing agent, minimizing material waste.