Zero Emission Quicklime

What Zero Emission Quicklime does

ZEQL (Zero Emission Quicklime) is an industrial partnership and registered trademark jointly owned by SMA Mineral, one of the largest limestone producers in the Nordic region, and SaltX Technology, a Swedish Greentech company developing patented electrification solutions. ZEQL is not a standalone legal entity or investable company; it is a manufacturing method and brand that produces climate-neutral quicklime using SaltX's patented Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) technology. The EAC replaces fossil-fuel heating with renewable-electric plasma burners in a cyclone-shaped kiln, while simultaneously isolating and capturing the CO2 released from limestone during calcination — yielding claimed 35% lower total CO2 generation versus traditional methods and 100% capture of process CO2, with the byproduct available for use or sequestration. ZEQL factories are primarily sited on SMA Mineral's existing limestone and dolomite quarries and are designed to use varied quarry output more efficiently. ZEQL serves heavy-industry customers — primarily steel manufacturers (Celsa Armeringsstål, SSAB), with secondary use cases in pulp and paper, construction, mining, water treatment, and agriculture. A demonstration plant of 10,000 t/year is under construction, and the first commercial factory is planned for 2027 in Mo i Rana, Norway (co-located with a Celsa steel mill), with a planned initial commercial output of ~40,000 t/year and a roadmap to replace SMA Mineral's legacy fossil-fueled plants over time.

Name

Zero Emission Quicklime

Legal name

ZEQL is not a company; it is a manufacturing method and registered trademark jointly owned by SMA Mineral and SaltX Technology

Website

https://zeql.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ZEQL (Zero Emission Quicklime) is a joint manufacturing method and brand of SMA Mineral and SaltX Technology that produces climate-neutral quicklime using a patented Electric Arc Calciner powered by renewable electricity and integrated CO2 capture, primarily serving Nordic steel and heavy-industrial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sweden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Climate-Neutral Quicklime Sales: ZEQL generates revenue through the sale of climate-neutral quicklime produced using their proprietary Electric Arc Calciner technology. The product is sold to industrial customers in steel, construction, pulp and paper, and other sectors requiring quicklime as a raw material.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ZEQL is an industrial partnership and registered trademark jointly owned by SMA Mineral and SaltX Technology that manufactures climate-neutral quicklime (calcium oxide) using the patented Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) kiln technology. The process replaces fossil fuels with renewable electricity and captures CO2 released during limestone calcination, producing quicklime for steel, construction, pulp and paper, water treatment, and agriculture customers. A demonstration plant with 10,000 tons/year capacity is under construction, with the first commercial factory planned for 2027 in Mo i Rana, Norway.

Product overview

ZEQL (Zero Emission Quicklime) is a single unified product concept/brand representing an electrified manufacturing method for producing climate-neutral quicklime. The core technology is the Electric Arc Calciner (EAC), which replaces traditional fossil-fueled kilns with renewable electricity-powered plasma burners. The EAC technology heats limestone in a cyclone-shaped kiln, producing quicklime while capturing CO2 emissions as a byproduct. The company, a partnership between SMA Mineral and SaltX Technology, is building demonstration plants (10,000 t/year capacity) leading to commercial factories. The offering targets industries including steel, paper, construction, mining, and water purification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate-Neutral Quicklime Climate-neutral quicklime (calcium oxide, CaO) produced through the electrified Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) process using renewable electricity. Sold to industrial customers in steel manufacturing, water purification, civil engineering, construction materials, flue gas treatment, paper and pulp production, agriculture, and food/pharmaceutical applications.
• Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) Technology

Quantifiable outcome

• 35% less CO2 generated compared to traditional method
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Celsa ArmeringsstålflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2023Celsa Nordic is one of the Nordic region's largest producers of reinforcing steel. A joint pilot study is launched to investigate constructing an electrified lime plant next to Celsa's existing steel mill in Mo i Rana, Norway. Quicklime is essential for their steel manufacturing process.
• SSABcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023SSAB is a global steel company and world leader in high-strength steel. A Letter of Intent has been signed for a pre-study on how climate-neutral quicklime can be applied in SSAB's steelmaking process. SSAB aims to become the first fossil-free steel producer by 2026.
• SMA MineralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMA Mineral is one of the largest limestone producers in the Nordic region. They are the operational partner providing limestone expertise, existing quarry infrastructure, and manufacturing capabilities. Together with SaltX Technology, they co-developed the ZEQL concept for climate-neutral quicklime production.
• SaltX TechnologycoreTechnology or IntegrationSaltX Technology develops and sells patented electrification solutions. They provide the core Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) technology that enables the zero-emission calcination process. SaltX's innovation replaces fossil fuels with renewable electricity in quicklime production.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Carbonaide: Finnish startup commercializing CO2 mineralization in concrete and cement using a similar CO2-capture-plus-industrial-output model. Comparable as an emerging player turning CO2 from industrial processes into a value-add output in construction materials.
• Electra: Emerging company developing electrified ironmaking at lower temperatures using renewable electricity. Comparable to ZEQL as an emerging electrification-based decarbonization play in heavy industry.
• Boston Metal: US-based startup commercializing molten oxide electrolysis for green steel and metals production. Comparable as an emerging electrified industrial process targeting the steel value chain that ZEQL's customers sit in.
• Stegra: Swedish fossil-free steel venture (formerly H2 Green Steel) building greenfield hydrogen-based steel plants in northern Sweden. Comparable as a potential large customer for climate-neutral quicklime and as an adjacent decarbonization play in Nordic heavy industry.
• Sunfire: German electrolyzer and industrial decarbonization company offering SOEC and other technologies for industrial CO2 utilization and green hydrogen. Comparable as an emerging technology provider applying electrification to hard-to-abate industrial processes.

Direct peers

• Graymont: Large privately held lime producer serving industrial, chemical, steel and environmental markets, with a growing focus on lower-carbon lime. Closely comparable to ZEQL as a major incumbent quicklime producer pursuing decarbonization of its own footprint.
• Lhoist: One of the world's largest producers of lime and dolomitic lime, serving steel, construction, environmental and industrial markets. Directly comparable to ZEQL as a global quicklime incumbent that ZEQL's electrified offering is positioned to disrupt or partner with.
• Carmeuse: Global lime and limestone producer with operations across Europe, North America and Africa supplying steel, construction, water treatment and flue-gas treatment. Directly comparable to ZEQL as a major quicklime incumbent whose customer base overlaps heavily with ZEQL's target segments.

Others

• SMA Mineral: One of the largest limestone producers in the Nordic region and a founding partner/owner of ZEQL. Listed separately from ZEQL because it is a parent and operator, not a peer, but its quarry footprint and existing customer base define the retrofit pipeline for ZEQL.

Broad incumbents

• Air Liquide: Global industrial gas major supplying CO2 and other gases to industrial customers. Comparable as a broad incumbent on the demand side for the captured CO2 byproduct from ZEQL's process.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zeql

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Zero Emission Quicklime