Calix continues to advance its Zero Emissions Steel Technology (Zesty™) through intellectual property (IP) development, pilot-scale testing and progression of the Zesty Green Iron Demonstration Project in Rockingham-Kwinana, Western Australia.
First Zesty patent granted in Australia
Calix recently achieved an important IP milestone with the formal grant of its first Zesty patent in Australia.
The patent protects the core Zesty invention and represents an important step in building the intellectual property portfolio supporting Calix’s green iron technology. The grant follows several years of technology development, testing and progress towards commercialisation since the patent was initially filed in 2021.
The granting of the patent establishes foundational protection in Australia for Zesty, the application of Calix’ platform technology for low-carbon iron and steel production. Corresponding patent applications are being pursued in key international jurisdictions, while additional patent filings have been submitted to protect further developments relating to both Zesty and the broader Calix platform technology. The Zesty technology is designed to produce green iron using Calix’s core indirect heating platform. It aims to enable a low-cost pathway to green iron production through flexible electric heating, minimal hydrogen consumption, processing of iron ore fines and lower-grade ores, and elimination of the need for ore pelletisation. Protecting these innovations is an important step as Calix progresses Zesty from pilot testing towards commercial demonstration and future deployment through technology licensing.
As a technology development and licensing company, Calix continues to build and protect intellectual property across both its core platform technology and application-specific developments. This milestone reflects the contribution of multiple teams across the business and reinforces Calix’s strategy of translating technical innovation into long-term value through IP, technology licensing and deployment.
Pilot upgrades and upcoming campaign
To continue Zesty’s development and support the successful delivery of the Demonstration Project, a third Zesty pilot-scale testing campaign will commence at the Calix Technology Centre in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria later this year.
Pilot-scale testing plays an important role in validating process performance, generating engineering data and supporting technology development. Previous campaigns demonstrated the potential of Zesty to produce green iron from a range of iron ore feedstocks, including lower-grade Australian ores.
The upcoming campaign is designed to support further technical development and derisking for Zesty, while also expanding the range of ores for testing to include international iron ores. Planned upgrades to the pilot plant and the subsequent testing campaign aims to:
- Enable semi-continuous operations, and in turn greater volumes of direct reduced iron to be produced and tested by customers in downstream processes.
- Improve the processing of ultrafines—very small iron ore particles that are typically challenging to handle—in turn supporting improved product yields.
- Test alternative reductants, such as natural gas and reformed natural gas, as a potential transitional option prior to improved economics and availability of renewable hydrogen. In turn, this aims to enable Zesty to broaden its commercial value proposition, immediate economic benefits and potential global market reach.
Together, these upgrades are designed to expand the range of operating conditions and feedstocks that Zesty can target, generate additional engineering and process data, and support the continued commercialisation of Zesty.
Towards commercial demonstration
Alongside technology development activities, Calix continues to progress the Zesty Green Iron Demonstration Project towards a Final Investment Decision.
The project is supported by a grant of up to $44.9 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), subject to matched funding, and is being developed with support from Rio Tinto under a non-exclusive joint development agreement that commits over $35 million in cash and in-kind support, subject to project milestones.
Following completion of initial project milestones, Calix has received a first grant payment of $2 million from ARENA, and a first cash contribution of $3 million from Rio Tinto.
The project is designed to demonstrate a modular and replicable commercial-scale reactor, with a nameplate capacity of up to 30,000 tonnes per annum of hydrogen direct reduced iron or hot briquetted iron. Targeted project outcomes include supporting the development of a green iron industry in Australia, the future competitiveness of Australian iron ore in a lower-emissions steel value chain, and the global deployment of the Zesty technology at commercial scale.
