CRH, Holcim Invest $75 Million in Low Carbon Cement Developer Sublime

Sublime Systems, which specializes in producing low-carbon cement, announced today a new partnership with building materials giants CRH and Holcim, including a $75 million equity investment and a binding offtake reservation, aimed at supporting the near-term development and operations of Sublime’s first commercial manufacturing facility in Holyoke, Mass.

Cement production is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, and one of the more difficult sectors to decarbonize. Cement currently accounts for approximately 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with over 900 kg of CO2 emissions generated for every 1,000 kg of material produced.

Spun out of MIT in 2020, Sublime has developed a proprietary process that utilizes an electrolyzer to produce cement at ambient temperatures, replacing energy and fossil fuel-intensive kilns, and enabling the use of calcium sources as an input material, avoiding the release of CO2 from limestone input. As part of the process, limestone, commonly used to make the cement, is converted to lime at room temperature, with the CO2 produced during this conversion process easier to capture.

While most efforts to decarbonize cement to date have relied on carbon capture and sequestration, Sublime’s technology produces cement with both low embodied CO2 and low embodied energy. In addition, its electrochemical process uses clean electricity and carbon-free inputs to produce reactive cementitious ingredients that are highly engineered for an optimally performing cement in concrete, the company said.

Sublime CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Leah Ellis said:

“If Sublime is to have a swift and massive impact on climate change, our breakthrough technology must be paired with manufacturing operations, logistics, and distribution — areas the building materials leaders excel in. Holcim and CRH each bring unique strategic advantages and expertise in the industry, and these partnerships offer Sublime an unparalleled opportunity to scale our technology with the urgency the climate crisis requires.”

The investment from these partnerships will fund construction of Sublime’s first-commercial facility in Holyoke, expected to open as early as 2026. It follows an up to $86.9 million investment Sublime was selected for by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), which will fund up to 50% of the Holyoke plant construction. Holcim’s and CRH’s binding cement reservations further accelerate the use of Sublime Cement in construction projects and build on prior reservations Sublime has secured from customers across ready-mix concrete producers, general contractors, renewable energy developers, and infrastructure owners. Sublime’s Holyoke plant will retire scale-up and commercial risk to advance its technology to cost and scale parity with today’s cement industry, whose plants typically produce at least one million tons of material per year. CRH and Holcim will individually collaborate with Sublime to co-develop those future true-zero plants in multiple areas.

Holcim’s Chief Sustainability Officer Nollaig Forrest said:

“Sublime is a disruptive force in cement making. Its unique technology cuts across the entire production process, from the use of clean electricity to carbon-free raw materials. We are excited about its potential and are delighted to be partnering together to bring it to the market at scale. This investment is fully in line with Holcim’s strategy to accelerate the decarbonization of construction by scaling up the most innovative technologies.”

Eduardo Gomez, Head of CRH Ventures, added:

“This investment in Sublime demonstrates CRH’s commitment to supporting breakthrough technologies and driving forward innovative low-carbon solutions for the built environment. Sublime’s differentiated technology and ability to scale, combined with CRH’s expertise and footprint across North America and Europe, offers significant potential to dramatically decarbonize cement production.”