Calix
Calix (ASX: CXL) is an Australian environmental technology company that develops a patented indirect-heating platform for industrial decarbonisation, serving cement, steel, lithium, alumina, water, and agriculture customers via its Leilac, ZESTY, and Magnesia divisions.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersPymble, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Calix does
Calix Limited (ASX: CXL) is an Australian environmental technology company developing a patented platform technology for the indirect heating of minerals, which enables electrification of industrial heating, capture of unavoidable process emissions, and lower-carbon mineral processing. The company's intellectual property base comprises 32 patent families and underpins three business divisions: Leilac, which decarbonises cement and lime production by capturing CO2 from calcination; Sustainable Processing, which applies the platform to iron and steel (via the ZESTY zero-emissions steel technology), lithium and critical minerals, and alumina; and Magnesia, which sells magnesium-based products including ACTI-Mag and the Flex Dose System for water treatment and agricultural applications.
Calix monetises its technology through a mix of magnesia product sales (the largest near-term revenue stream at A$15.8M in H1 FY26, up 48% year-over-year), multi-year joint development agreements and technology licensing with major industrial counterparties (notably Rio Tinto, which committed over A$35 million to the ZESTY green iron demonstration plant and received a non-exclusive global licence), paid test programs (Norsk Hydro for alumina), and targeted project divestitures (Pilbara Minerals acquired Calix's Mid-Stream Project share for A$11.4 million). Non-dilutive government funding from ARENA and EU Horizon has been a consistent capital source. The company is publicly listed on the ASX, was founded in 2005, and operates from Australia with commercial activities spanning Asia and Europe through partnerships with Heidelberg Materials, Adani Group's Ambuja Cements, and the Leilac consortium (ENGIE, Cemex, Lhoist, Solvay, and others).
Calix firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Calix
- Legal name
- Calix Limited
- Website
- https://calix.com.au
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Calix (ASX: CXL) is an Australian environmental technology company that develops a patented indirect-heating platform for industrial decarbonisation, serving cement, steel, lithium, alumina, water, and agriculture customers via its Leilac, ZESTY, and Magnesia divisions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Calix industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Decarbonisation Technology
- NAICS
- Electrical Equipment Manufacturing (3353)
- SIC
- Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial Electrified Kilns & Calcination Solutions (Cement/Lime/Glass Specific) (EUABAJAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industrial Decarbonization EPC, Integration & O&M Services (Design/Build/Operate) (EUABAJAM)
Keywords
Where Calix is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pymble
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
Calix business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Magnesia Division Products: Sale of magnesia-based products for water treatment, agriculture, and health applications. Includes ACTI-Mag products and Flex Dose System for wastewater treatment. Revenue grew 48% to AUD 15.8 million in H1 FY26.
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of ZESTY technology to industrial partners globally. Rio Tinto received non-exclusive global licence for commercial use of Zesty technology. Provides access to Calix's intellectual property for partner operations.
- Joint Development Agreements: Strategic R&D partnerships with major companies like Rio Tinto (over AUD 35 million committed) and Norsk Hydro (paid test program) for co-development of technologies. Includes cash and in-kind support.
- Mid-Stream Project: Pilbara Minerals paid AUD 11.4 million to acquire Calix's share in the Mid-Stream Project joint venture for lithium processing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise B2B contracts |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Calix product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Calix develops and commercialises a patented indirect-heating platform technology for industrial decarbonisation. It sells magnesia-based products for water treatment and agriculture (ACTI-Mag, Flex Dose), licences decarbonisation technologies for cement and lime (Leilac) and iron/steel (ZESTY), and runs joint development agreements with mining and industrial majors to deploy its electric kiln and CO2 capture systems across cement, steel, alumina, lithium, and critical minerals processing.
Product overview
Calix is an environmental technology company with a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core patented platform technology delivers efficient indirect heating of minerals to enable electrification of industries, capture of unavoidable emissions, and green industrial processing solutions. The company operates three main business divisions: Leilac (decarbonising cement and lime), Sustainable Processing (iron & steel, alumina, and lithium via ZESTY technology), and Magnesia (water treatment and agriculture products including ACTI-Mag® and Flex Dose System). Calix has 32 patent families covering its core technology and applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ZESTY: Zero Emissions Steel Technology - hydrogen-based iron reduction technology for near-zero emissions steel production
- Leilac
- ACTI-Mag
Products and services
- Leilac Technology for capturing unavoidable CO2 emissions from the calcination process in cement and lime production, deployed via the Leilac consortium with partners including Heidelberg Materials, ENGIE, Imperial College London, Cemex, Lhoist, and Solvay.
- Sustainable Processing Calix's sustainable processing business covering iron and steel (ZESTY), alumina, and lithium processing using the company's electric indirect-heating platform technology.
- Magnesia Calix's magnesia product division, supplying magnesium-based products for water treatment, agriculture, and health applications, including the ACTI-Mag and Flex Dose System lines. H1 FY26 revenue grew 48% to AUD 15.8 million.
- ZESTY (Zero Emissions Steel Technology) Patented electric kiln technology for hydrogen-based iron ore reduction that produces near-zero emissions hot briquetted iron (HBI) for green steel production. Licensed to Rio Tinto on a non-exclusive global basis.
- ACTI-Mag Magnesium-based product for wastewater treatment used by municipal water utilities and other customers in wastewater and agricultural applications.
- Flex Dose System Flexible dosing system used in conjunction with ACTI-Mag for wastewater treatment applications.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue up 21% to AUD 16.3 million in H1 FY26
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Calix
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Calix technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Calix partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Norsk HydrocoreStrategic partnership with Norsk Hydro for alumina applications using Calix's technology. Paid test program underway for alumina processing applications. Represents expansion into new industrial sector beyond steel and cement.
- Rio TintoflagshipJoint Development Agreement with Rio Tinto to build ZESTY Green Iron Demonstration Plant in Kwinana, Western Australia. Rio Tinto investing over A$35 million (US$23 million) in the project. Rio Tinto receives non-exclusive global licence for commercial use of Zesty technology and access to Pilbara iron ores for testing. Final Investment Decision expected in 2026. Partnership replaces previously planned BioIron facility at same site.
- Pilbara MineralscoreMid-Stream Project partnership for lithium processing. Pilbara Minerals purchased Calix's share of Mid-Stream Project for AUD 11.4 million in cash. Continued collaboration on lithium processing technology including electric-kiln trials at Pilgangoora.
- Swinburne University of TechnologyminorResearch partnership for sustainable steel production under A$1.6 million Economic Accelerator Ignite grants. Collaboration on translating university research into practical innovations for industrial decarbonisation.
- Heidelberg MaterialscoreLEILAC-2 carbon capture project partnership for cement industry decarbonisation. Heidelberg Materials hosting LEILAC pilot project with EU Horizon funding.
- CimporcoreCommercial cement projects in Asia including with Adani Group's Ambuja Cements under Leilac brand for cement and lime decarbonisation.
- Leilac Consortium PartnerscoreGlobal partnerships and collaborations with industry, academia and governments. Partners include ENGIE, Imperial College London, Deakin University, Tarmac, Cemex, Lhoist, Solvay, and others for technology development and commercialisation.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Calix competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Boston Metal: Boston Metal is commercialising molten oxide electrolysis to produce green steel and critical minerals. It is the closest direct peer to Calix ZESTY, competing head-to-head in the electrified iron reduction space with backing from major steel and mining players.
- Stegra (formerly H2 Green Steel): Stegra is building one of the world's first large-scale green steel plants using hydrogen-based DRI, directly competing with ZESTY as a near-zero emissions steel pathway. It serves the same cement and steel decarbonisation customers and similar mining counterparties.
- CarbonCure Technologies: CarbonCure is a Canadian cement decarbonisation company that injects captured CO2 into fresh concrete. It directly competes with Calix's LEILAC technology in serving cement producers seeking to reduce embodied carbon in their products.
Emerging players
- Electra: Electra is developing low-temperature electrolysis to produce green iron from iron ore. It overlaps with Calix's ZESTY in targeting electrified iron reduction but uses a different electrochemistry, making it a partial competitor in the same end-market.
- Solidia Technologies: Solidia Technologies uses CO2-curing and carbonation-cured concrete to decarbonise cement production. It is an emerging alternative to LEILAC, targeting the same cement and lime producers with a different capture-and-utilisation pathway.
- Heirloom Carbon Technologies: Heirloom is a direct air capture (DAC) company using limestone-based mineral processing. It overlaps with Calix's Direct Air Capture initiative, addressing the same atmospheric CO2 removal market with a different but related mineral-based architecture.
- CarbonCapture Inc. CarbonCapture Inc. develops DAC systems for industrial-scale carbon removal. It is an emerging alternative in the DAC space where Calix is also building capabilities through its mineral processing platform.
Broad incumbents
- Heidelberg Materials: Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest cement producers and a partnership host for Calix's LEILAC-2 pilot. While both a customer and partner, it is also a developer of its own decarbonisation technologies, making it a comparable incumbent in the cement decarbonisation space.
- SSAB (HYBRIT): SSAB, through the HYBRIT joint venture with LKAB and Vattenfall, is commercialising hydrogen-based sponge iron production. It is a broad incumbent in the same green steel market that ZESTY targets, with first-mover advantage at demonstration scale.
Others
- C-Quest Capital: C-Quest Capital invests in industrial decarbonisation and carbon credit projects, including calcined clay and low-carbon cement initiatives. It is a thematic adjacent player in the same global carbon mitigation value chain as Calix.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Calix social profiles
Digital presenceCalix financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Calix leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Calix funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Calix M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Calix
What does Calix do?
Calix develops and commercialises a patented indirect-heating platform technology for industrial decarbonisation. It sells magnesia-based products for water treatment and agriculture (ACTI-Mag, Flex Dose), licences decarbonisation technologies for cement and lime (Leilac) and iron/steel (ZESTY), and runs joint development agreements with mining and industrial majors to deploy its electric kiln and CO2 capture systems across cement, steel, alumina, lithium, and critical minerals processing.
Is Calix a public or private company?
Calix is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Calix founded?
Calix was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Calix based?
Calix is headquartered in Pymble, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Calix make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Magnesia Division Products are the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing, joint Development Agreements and mid-Stream Project.
Who are Calix's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Boston Metal, Stegra (formerly H2 Green Steel) and CarbonCure Technologies. Emerging players are Electra, Solidia Technologies, Heirloom Carbon Technologies and CarbonCapture Inc.. Broad incumbents are Heidelberg Materials and SSAB (HYBRIT). C-Quest Capital is listed as an others.
Does Calix have an API?
No public API is recorded for Calix.
What industry is Calix in?
Calix's product category is Industrial Decarbonisation Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAJAL, Industrial Electrified Kilns & Calcination Solutions (Cement/Lime/Glass Specific), with a secondary code of EUABAJAM, Industrial Decarbonization EPC, Integration & O&M Services (Design/Build/Operate). Its NAICS code is 3353 and its SIC code is 3567.