US: Oakland, California-based cleantech startup Brimstone has received a US Department of Energy grant worth up to US$189m to establish a plant with a capacity of 80,000t/yr of ‘green’ cement and 20,000t/yr of smelter-grade alumina, according to the San Francisco Business Times. The grant will be paid out in instalments and requires matching funds from new investments, loans and other sources.
The US$378m facility, which is still in the site selection phase, will be located near an existing quarry in order to mine calcium silicate rocks.
CEO Cody Finke said “We’re exclusively looking at brownfield sites. The goal is to build our own plant while utilising existing quarries to ensure a sustainable and economically viable operation.”
Brimstone plans to begin pilot operations in 2025 and aims to have the plant fully operational by the end of the decade. The company is currently testing its decarbonised cement with potential customers from its Oakland research and development facility.
