What Precision Combustion does

Precision Combustion, Inc. is a privately-held clean energy technology company founded in 1986 and headquartered in North Haven, Connecticut, that develops and manufactures catalytic reactor-based components and systems for clean power generation, combustion, emissions control, and chemical manufacturing applications. The company's portfolio is built around two proprietary catalytic reactor technology platforms — Microlith® (nanostructured catalytic reactors offering high surface area, compact form factor, and rapid transient response) and RCL® (catalytic reactor technology for power generation and emissions control) — which underpin product lines spanning fuel processors (SOFC, HTPEM, PEM), catalytic combustors, burners and oxidizers, air cleaners (VOC, CO2, sulfur, pathogen control), IC engine augmentation, and catalytic steam generators for oil & gas, soil remediation, and soil disinfestation applications. Select products are sized across a 0.5–250 kilowatt range and are designed to operate on multiple fuels including diesel, JP-5, JP-8, biofuels, natural gas, propane, methanol, ethanol, and hydrogen.

The company serves nine vertical market segments — Aerospace, Defense, Fuel Cell Systems, Gas Turbine Engines, Automotive, Indoor Air Quality, Agriculture, Oil & Gas Production, and Chemical Manufacturing — with Aerospace, Defense, and Fuel Cell Systems designated as primary. Commercial relationships are concentrated with U.S. government agencies and their prime contractors, including NASA (ECLSS, Artemis/Mars deep-space missions), the Department of Energy (SBIR/STTR awards for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies), the Air Force, Army, Navy (tactical power, APUs, propulsion), and the USDA (soil disinfestation). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to government and industrial customers with no apparent self-serve or channel distribution model. The company is led by President Kevin Burns.

Name

Precision Combustion

Legal name

Precision Combustion, Inc.

Website

https://precision-combustion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Precision Combustion, Inc. is a privately-held clean energy technology company founded in 1986 and based in North Haven, Connecticut, that develops proprietary Microlith® and RCL® catalytic reactor systems for power generation, fuel processing, emissions control, and chemical manufacturing, primarily serving U.S. aerospace, defense, and fuel cell customers including NASA, DOD, and DOE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catalytic Reactor Systems & Components

NAICS

Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (3336), Chemical Manufacturing (325), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410)

SIC

Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724), Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Emissions Control Catalysts (DeNOx/DeSOx/DOC/CO Oxidation) (IMAEAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engine Modules & Hot-Section Components (Compressors/Turbines/Combustors) (IMABADAJ), Military Aerospace Engines & Propulsion (IMABAMAD), Engine Control, Fuel & Ignition Systems (FADEC/Accessories) (IMABADAK)

Keywords

• Catalytic reactor systems
• Fuel processing equipment
• Clean combustion technology
• Emissions control systems
• Catalytic air cleaners

Headquarters

HQ city

North Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Precision Combustion, Inc. develops and manufactures catalytic reactor components and systems for clean and efficient power generation, combustion, emissions control, and chemical manufacturing applications. Its portfolio is built around two proprietary platforms—Microlith® nanostructured catalytic substrates and RCL® reforming/combustion technology—and includes fuel processors, SOFC and tactical power generators, low-NOx combustors, burners and oxidizers, air cleaners, and IC engine augmentation modules. Offerings are sold primarily to aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial customers as custom-engineered hardware.

Product overview

Precision Combustion, Inc. is a privately-held clean energy technology company developing and manufacturing components and systems for clean and efficient power generation, combustion, emissions control, and chemical manufacturing applications. The company offers a portfolio built around two core proprietary technologies: Microlith® and RCL®, which are catalytic reactor technologies enabling compact, lightweight chemical processing. The product portfolio spans multiple interconnected solution areas: (1) Fuel Processors including SOFC Fuel Processors, PEM Fuel Processors, Fuel Reformers, WGS/PROX Reactors, and OXY/ATR systems for converting logistics fuels into hydrogen-rich reformate for fuel cells; (2) Power Generation including SOFC Power Generation systems and Tactical Power Generators for portable military/industrial applications; (3) IC Engine Augmentation for improved performance and emissions reduction; (4) Burners and Oxidizers including Catalytic Burners, Fuel Cell System Oxidizers, and Stirling Engine Burners for aerospace and fuel cell applications; (5) Air Cleaners including VOCs Control, CO2 Adsorbers, Sulfur Adsorbers, and Pathogen Filtration for indoor air quality and spacecraft ECLSS; (6) Combustors including Low-NOx Catalytic Combustors, Catalytic Pilots, Downhole Steam Generators, Microturbine Combustors, OXY-FUEL Combustors, and Soil Remediation/Disinfestation Steam Generators; and (7) Specialty Products including Advanced Cetane Analyzer, Catalytic Glow Plugs, Chemical Reactors, Catalytic Converters, and Reformate Analysis System. Target markets include Aerospace, Defense, Fuel Cell Systems, Gas Turbine Engines, Automotive, Indoor Air Quality, Agriculture, Oil and Gas Production, and Chemical Manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Microlith®: Proprietary catalytic reactor technology platform used across multiple product lines including fuel processors, air cleaners, and combustors.
• RCL®

Products and services

• Tactical Power Generators Portable, commercial-off-the-shelf-based generator systems that run on logistics diesel-type fuel to produce electricity for military and tactical applications, with no special treatments or additives required at start-up.
• Fuel Processors Compact catalytic reforming systems (including SOFC, PEM, WGS/PROX, and OXY/ATR variants) that convert liquid hydrocarbon and gaseous fuels into hydrogen-rich reformate for fuel cell and industrial applications, sized from 0.5 kW to 250 kW.
• SOFC Power Generation Systems Ultra-compact solid oxide fuel cell power systems that pair Microlith® fuel processors with SOFC/HTPEM stacks to run on logistics fuels, designed for industrial and government customers.
• Methane Mitigation Systems Catalytic systems for ventilation air methane abatement, supporting coal mining operations and other methane-emission reduction applications.
• Internal Combustion Engine Augmentation System Engine augmentation module that creates a high-octane fuel mixture from a slipstream of incoming fuel to improve performance, reduce emissions, and increase efficiency in spark and compression ignition engines.
• Catalytic Burners and Oxidizers Small-to-medium catalytic burners and oxidizers designed for multiple fuels and for spacecraft ECLSS, PEM/SOFC fuel cell systems, and Stirling engine applications.
• Air Cleaners Catalytic air cleaning systems for control of volatile organic compounds, CO2, sulfur compounds, methane, and airborne pathogens in indoor air quality, spacecraft ECLSS, and environmental applications.
• CO2 Adsorbers / CO2 Collector Regenerable direct air and post-combustion CO2 capture systems using solid sorbent technology designed to reduce energy, material, and operating costs versus conventional capture approaches.
• Low-NOx Catalytic Combustors Catalytic combustors for gas turbines, microturbines, oxy-fuel, catalytic pilots, and downhole steam generation, delivering near-zero hydrocarbon, CO, and NOx emissions with high flame stability at low operating temperatures.
• Downhole Steam Generators Compact catalytic steam generators designed for heavy oil and methane hydrate downhole production in oil and gas applications.
• Soil Remediation Steam Generator Catalytic steam generator for environmental remediation of contaminated soils.
• Soil Disinfestation Steam Generator Mobile catalytic steam generator that disinfests agricultural soils as an alternative to chemical fumigants, developed under a USDA SBIR Phase II grant.
• Specialty Products (Catalytic Glow Plugs, Chemical Reactors, Catalytic Converters, Advanced Cetane Analyzer, Reformate Analysis System) Catalytic specialty products including glow plugs for IC engines, chemical reactors, catalytic converters, an advanced cetane analyzer for fuel quality testing, and a reformate analysis system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recover up to 95% of oxygen from CO2 using Methane Pyrolysis Reactor technology
• +2 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HoneywellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2026Honeywell is collaborating with Precision Combustion on next-generation Environment Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) technology for deep-space missions to the Moon and Mars. Specifically, Precision Combustion is a collaborator on the Carbon Dioxide Removal by Ionic Liquid Sorbent (CDRILS) system and Methane Pyrolysis Reactor capable of recovering up to 95% of oxygen from CO2. The partnership aims to develop systems that are smaller, lighter, more reliable, and more resilient than current ISS systems to support missions lasting three years or more.
• Paragon Space DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2026Paragon Space Development is collaborating with Honeywell and Precision Combustion on next-generation ECLSS technology for deep-space missions, part of a multi-partner development effort for NASA's Artemis and Mars missions.
• Giner LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2026Giner Labs is collaborating with Honeywell and Precision Combustion on next-generation ECLSS technology for deep-space missions, contributing to the development of life support systems for extended space missions.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• OxEon Energy: OxEon Energy is a small-scale developer of solid-oxide electrolysis and fuel cell systems; it overlaps with PCI's SOFC, HTPEM, and hydrogen generation/compression technology portfolio at a similar scale and customer profile.
• Climeworks: Climeworks is a leading direct air CO2 capture company. PCI's regenerable CO2 collector / PCCCS technology targets the same DAC and post-combustion capture market with a differentiated solid-sorbent, low-energy architecture.
• Echogen Power Systems: Echogen Power Systems develops waste heat-to-power systems and emissions control technology using proprietary heat transfer and catalytic approaches — comparable in customer profile (industrial, defense) and technology approach to PCI's catalytic combustors and heat exchange products.

Broad incumbents

• Johnson Matthey: Johnson Matthey is a global specialty chemicals and catalyst company with significant positions in emissions control catalysts (DeNOx, DeSOx, CO oxidation) — directly overlapping with PCI's low-NOx catalytic combustor and emissions control product lines.
• Honeywell: Honeywell is PCI's most strategic partner — collaborating on NASA ECLSS systems (CDRILS, Methane Pyrolysis Reactor) for Artemis/Mars — and is also a broad incumbent in aerospace, process technologies (UOP), and emissions control with overlapping capabilities in catalytic reactors and life-support systems.
• Honeywell UOP: Honeywell UOP is a dominant refining and petrochemical catalyst/process technology provider. PCI's RCL® reforming and chemical reactor products compete and overlap with UOP's reforming and specialty catalyst offerings in oil & gas and chemical manufacturing.

Direct peers

• Bloom Energy: Bloom Energy is a leading commercial SOFC systems provider; PCI's stack-agnostic Microlith® reformers and SOFC Power Generation products are directly enabling/complementary to Bloom's core fuel cell platform, particularly for customers wanting multi-fuel flexibility.
• FuelCell Energy: FuelCell Energy develops carbonate fuel cell and SOFC stationary power systems. PCI's fuel processors, combustors, and oxidizers are directly relevant to their fuel cell balance-of-plant and power generation architecture.
• Plug Power: Plug Power is a leading PEM fuel cell and green hydrogen solutions company; PCI's fuel processors, catalytic burners, and oxidizers serve as enabling subcomponents in adjacent fuel cell stack and balance-of-plant markets.
• Advent Technologies: Advent Technologies is a developer of high-temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cell systems — PCI explicitly markets its Microlith® fuel processors for HTPEM applications, making it a direct enabling-technology peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_pci
• Facebookfacebook.com/Precision-Combustion-Inc-303490306342013
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/precision-combustion-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Precision Combustion