Decarbonising heavy industry requires more than incremental improvements, it demands fundamentally new process technologies that can be deployed rapidly and at scale. With IP at the core of their practice, Griffith Hack client Calix is addressing this challenge through the development of its platform flash calcination technology designed to transform how industrial heating and mineral processing are performed.
One of the most advanced applications of Calix’s platform technology is ZESTY™ (Zero Emissions Steel Technology) – a technology targeting low-emissions iron and steel production, one of the most emissions-intensive sectors globally, responsible for around 10% of total anthropogenic emissions.
A platform approach to industrial transformation
“Calix is a technology development and licensing company focused on reinventing calcination — the process of heating materials to drive chemical change,” says Matt Boot-Handford, Chief Scientist at Calix. “Since founding in 2005, we’ve been developing and commercialising our indirectly heated flash calcination technology, enabling precise thermal processing using electricity or alternative low-carbon heat sources.”
Calix’s platform technology has applications across multiple industries including iron and steel, lime and cement, lithium, alumina, water treatment, and advanced materials processing such as battery and agricultural crop protection products. The unifying objective is consistent: to enable lower-emissions, higher-efficiency thermal treatment for mineral and chemical processes.
“Crucially, many of these industries, particularly cement, lime, and steel, collectively account for a significant proportion of global emissions,” Boot-Handford explains. “This creates a strong imperative not only for innovation, but for technologies that can be deployed rapidly and broadly across existing industrial value chains.”
ZESTY: applying Calix’s platform technology to green iron
Calix initially engaged Griffith Hack to support the protection of ZESTY, which represents one of the most advanced applications of the Calix technology, targeting the decarbonisation of iron and steel production.
“ZESTY uses an indirect and electrically heated drop-tube reactor,” Boot-Handford explains. “Finely ground iron ore is fed from the top, while hydrogen is introduced from the base. As the material moves down, it is rapidly heated and reacts with the up-flowing hydrogen to remove oxygen, producing water vapour and a metallic iron product.”
A key differentiator is how heat is supplied.
“In many hydrogen-based iron reduction processes, hydrogen is combusted to maintain temperature, increasing consumption and cost. In ZESTY, heat is supplied externally via the furnace, meaning hydrogen is used only as a reductant, not as a fuel. This enables materially lower hydrogen utilisation — which is a big cost benefit,” says Boot-Handford.
More broadly, the design simplifies the process by combining heating and reduction within a single processing step. Heat can be delivered directly through the reactor walls, eliminating the need for combustion within the reaction zone and avoiding the introduction of additional gases. This not only improves thermal control, but also avoids the need to introduce carbon-based gases to support heat balance, simplifying gas handling and improving overall efficiency.
The process also enables:
- Processing of lower-grade ores and ultra-fine materials that are difficult to handle in conventional technologies
- Compatibility with downstream steelmaking routes
- A pathway to reduced overall emissions intensity through electrified heating and reduced hydrogen demand
This combination is particularly relevant in the Australian context, where maintaining the value of iron ore exports will increasingly depend on processing lower-grade ores while meeting tightening emissions expectations.
From concept to demonstration: partnering to scale
Development of ZESTY is being advanced through a combination of public and industry collaboration.
Calix has secured significant support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to construct a demonstration-scale 30,000 tpa green iron plant, alongside a Joint Development Agreement with Rio Tinto. The project is planned for the Kwinana Industrial hub in Western Australia, positioning it within one of the world’s largest iron ore supply chains.
This reflects a deliberate strategy: to de-risk, validate and scale the technology in partnership with major operators, with a view to broader deployment across industry.
“We’ve made great headway in this space over a short period of time and are excited about these opportunities to partner with ARENA and Rio Tinto,” says Boot-Handford.
IP as an enabler of deployment, not just protection
Central to this model is Calix’s approach to intellectual property.
Rather than building and operating industrial assets, Calix develops and commercialises its technology through licensing. This requires not only strong technical performance, but a robust and defensible IP position that allows the technology to be adopted at scale while retaining long-term value.
IP therefore sits at the core of how the business operates:
- The indirectly heated platform technology is protected as a foundational capability
- Application-specific developments, such as ZESTY, are captured through targeted filings
- Protection extends across process design, configuration, and industrial application
- The portfolio evolves alongside the technology as new use-cases emerge
This layered approach allows Calix to capture value both at the platform level and within individual applications.
Integrating IP into the development cycle
At Calix, IP development is not a downstream activity, it is integrated into the R&D process.
“IP is at the core of everything we do,” says Boot-Handford. “Our model is not to operate these plants, but to develop the IP and licence it to industry so that they can implement processes that reduce their emissions intensity. That makes our IP portfolio the most valuable asset we have – it protects our core platform technology and every application we derive from it.”
As technologies move from laboratory through pilot and into demonstration, new inventions are identified, assessed, and protected in parallel with technical development. This ensures that key innovations are secured early, particularly in areas with strong commercial potential.
Collaboration with Griffith Hack supports this process by:
- Identifying protectable advances at each stage of development
- Maintaining consistency across jurisdictions as deployment expands
- Supporting a structured, portfolio-level view of competitive positioning
This is particularly important for platform technologies, where value accrues not just from individual inventions, but from how they are combined, extended, and applied across sectors.
Licensing a platform across industries
The combination of platform technology and IP underpins Calix’s licensing model.
By enabling industrial partners to adopt its technology, Calix can support decarbonisation across multiple sectors without directly operating assets. Each deployment contributes to the maturation of the technology while reinforcing the value of the underlying IP.
Beyond steel, the same platform technology enables:
- Separation of process and combustion gases in cement, lime and magnesite calcination, producing high-purity CO₂ streams ready for storage or utilisation (carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) ready)
- Decarbonisation through the electrification of industrial heating
- Processing of fine materials in lithium and battery applications
- Improved recovery and reduced waste across mineral processing systems
ZESTY sits within this broader portfolio, demonstrating how a single technology base, supported by a coherent IP strategy, can be adapted to address some of the most challenging industrial decarbonisation problems.
“Working with Griffith Hack has been a wonderful experience,” Boot-Handford concludes. “Since commencing this work, we’ve transitioned our IP portfolio so that it is all managed through the firm. We’re very pleased with their expertise, their methods of engagement, and their support in ensuring we can adopt a more sophisticated approach to our IP management.”
If you have any further questions about this topic or any other aspect of IP in Australia, please contact us.