Cement that doesn’t require fossil fuels or limestone is coming to a construction site near you.

What’s happening:

• Sublime Systems, a startup based in Massachusetts, has just received approval for their low carbon, climate friendly approach to manufacturing cement
• The approval, which is known as the ASTM C1157 designation, means that Sublime Systems cement is in accordance with the United States building standards and can be safely used on a wider variety of projects

How it works:

• Traditional cement manufacturing relies on kilns which Sublime System replaces with an electrochemical process that bypasses CO2 emissions and heating emissions
• Further, Sublime Systems's innovative process doesn’t require any post combustion carbon capture whatsoever

The details:

• Sublime Systems was originally started at MIT by two renowned experts in material science, Leah Ellis and Professor Yet-Ming Chiang
• Since then they have raised over $50M in venture capital from notable investors such as Lowercarbon Capital, The Engine, Energy Impact Partners and others

The intrigue:

• The largest and oldest cement company in Thailand and Southeast Asia Siam Cement Group is a strategic investor in Sublime Systems, a potential signal that the larger construction space knows decarbonizing cement production is inevitable