Brimstone said that its deeply decarbonized cement manufacturing process will also produce smelter-grade alumina – marking a major industrial milestone in the United States as the plant could represent the first new, domestic source of the product in a generation.
“Brimstone is working to create the industrial processes of the 21st century, leveraging co-production to unlock the economic value of common, domestically sourced rocks,” said Brimstone co-founder and CEO Cody Finke. “This milestone is a huge win for U.S. manufacturing, as we now can secure the entire alumina supply chain right here in the U.S – fortifying the domestic supply of this critical mineral, reducing reliance on imports, and bringing jobs back home.”
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations recently awarded nearly $8.7 million of the total federal cost share of up to $189 million to Brimstone to advance site selection for its $378 million, first-of-a-kind commercial demonstration plant. The plant will serve as the initial realization of the Brimstone Rock Refinery, the company’s larger vision to refine carbon-free calcium silicate rocks into multiple cost-competitive, deeply decarbonized co-products.
“The Brimstone Rock Refinery has cracked the code to transform the most common and abundant rocks into the critical materials our economy and infrastructure rely on,” said Hugo Leandri, Brimstone co-founder and chief strategy officer. “This breakthrough technology not only reduces costs and environmental impacts but also paves the way for reshoring manufacturing and strengthening domestic supply chain resilience.”
Brimstone will begin pilot operations this year and seeks to have its commercial demonstration plant operating by the end of the decade. The company is currently engaging with potential customers, including testing its deeply decarbonized cement and supplementary cementitious materials.
