Recycling steel and aluminum scrap into reusable resources is the focus of this innovative company.
Sun Metalon, a startup based in Shenzhen, China, has secured $9.1 million in its second round of funding, with investors including Japanese steelmaking giant Nippon Steel and Zhaowei Venture Capital. The company, founded in 2021 by Kazuhiko Nishioka and two colleagues from Nippon Steel, aims to reduce emissions in the metal industry by recycling metal waste from steel and aluminum production.
The metal industry is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, accounting for approximately 7% of the world's total. Recycling metal emits significantly less carbon emissions compared to forging it from scratch, making Sun Metalon's technology a promising solution for decarbonizing the metal sector, which is expected to be a significant and costly endeavor.
Sun Metalon's technology involves an oven-sized box that extracts recyclable metal from the waste stream. The process begins by heating the metal waste to the boiling point of oil, which allows impurities to be condensed back to liquid. The clean metal is then transformed into recyclable 'pucks' or 'coins'.
The founders of Sun Metalon conducted DIY experiments to clean contaminated metal waste before developing the technology. Their efforts have paid off, as the company has received two patents on its heating technology in 2024.
Nick Yavorsky, senior associate for the climate-aligned industries program at RMI, stated that Sun Metalon offers a way to create value from waste that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. The profit from recycling upgraded scrap can be shared among Sun Metalon's customers.
Sun Metalon's units are modular 'ovens' that can be placed on a factory or foundry floor. The technology is powered by electricity, making it carbon-free if renewable energy is available.
In addition to reducing carbon emissions, Sun Metalon can upgrade scrap with a negative value, especially sludges, to a higher value in the recycled metal feedstock chain. Increasing the amount of metal that can be recycled is one means of decarbonizing the metal industry.
As part of its Third Derivative cleantech business accelerator, RMI is providing Sun Metalon with 18 months of mentorship to help the startup scale its technology and make a meaningful impact on the metal industry's carbon footprint. With its innovative technology and strong support, Sun Metalon is poised to make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the metal sector.
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