Sublime Systems to launch first cement plant

US-based Sublime Systems, a developer of low-carbon cement, has announced plans to build its first cement plant. The facility, located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, will have a production capacity of 30,000tpa and is expected to come on stream in 2026. According to the company, the plant will produce “the only fossil-fuel-free, scalable, drop-in replacement for traditional cement in concrete.” 

Sublime uses an electrochemical process that entirely bypasses the need for extreme heat, typically requiring the burning of coal or other fossil fuels, in the traditional method of producing cement. Its process makes use of non-carbonate rocks that don’t release CO₂ when decomposed into cement at ambience temperatures. The end result is cement that is as strong and durable as any conventionally produced cement, says Sublime. 

The Holyoke project “marks the development of the nation’s first true zero-carbon cement manufacturing factory and paves the way for future megaton scale production of Sublime Cement to ultimately meet increasing domestic demand and develop clean manufacturing innovation for export throughout the globe,” the company states. The project is “critical for Sublime’s ability to grow its customer base and fully de-risk its technology ahead of building a one-million-ton-per-year-capacity plant, the size of traditional cement manufacturing plants.”