Displaying items by tag: Sublime Systems

US: Sublime Systems’ Sublime Cement reduced-CO₂ cement has received an ASTM C1157 designation. InterestingEngineering News has reported that this enables builders to use it in various projects in line with international building codes. Sublime Systems’ cement consists of lime and silica produced by electrolysis using non-carbonate calcium compounds.

CEO Leah Ellis said "Our aim is to make a profound and lasting impact on global CO₂ emissions. The ASTM C1157 designation is a validation of our efforts to integrate low-carbon innovation into quality construction materials."

World: Nine new members have joined the Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCCC), a global association of low-CO₂ cement and concrete developers, producers and users, since its launch in May 2023. The alliance has welcomed alternative cement and concrete companies Betolar, 3Béton, CarbonRE, Cemvision, the European Environmental Bureau, Greenmade, Materrup, Nomad and Sublime Systems.

Joren Verschaeve, Programme Manager at ALCCC founder Environmental Coalition on Standards, said “It is great to see that so many actors - particularly innovators from within the industry - are committed to speeding up the decarbonisation of cement and concrete through better standards and policies. We are eager to work with our members and other stakeholders to (finally) help put the right incentives in place for low-carbon cement and concrete solutions.”

US: Sublime Systems says it has secured US$40m in funding from its latest investment round. Venture capital company Lowercarbon Capital, The Engine, Energy Impact Partners and others took part in the Series A funding round. Siam Cement Group has also been announced as a strategic investor. The company will use the new capital to increase production at its pilot plant, build its team, conduct product testing and promote offtake commitments from new customers and partners.

Sublime Systems is commercialising an electrolysis cement production process that will manufacture cement at ambient temperature from a variety of abundant calcium sources. It says it is the first company to produce cement through this process.

Leah Ellis, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sublime said, "We have successfully demonstrated the viability and scalability of our approach and we are able to produce cement with the same or better strength, slump and durability than today's Portland cement. The support of our talented team and capital from our investors will enable us to operate our pilot facility, secure advance offtake agreements and work toward producing our low-carbon cement at scale."

The company was spun-out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2020. It was co-founded by Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor and co-founder of several climate-tech companies, including A123 Systems, 24M Technologies and Form Energy, and Leah Ellis, an Activate Fellow and one of MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators under 35. To date, the company has concentrated its efforts on developing its first drop-in, low-carbon cement product, validating its manufacturing process at the pilot scale, validating buyer demand and building up its team.