Like many smaller Rust Belt cities, Holyoke, Massachusetts has changed since its industrial heyday as the paper capital of the world. After decades of manufacturing decline, a green cement plant using cutting edge technologies – operated by Sublime Systems – is poised to revitalize Holyoke’s economy and usher in a new era of high-tech clean jobs thanks to millions of dollars from the Biden Administration.
Though the initial impact of Sublime’s new facility might seem somewhat modest, the potential for 80 or more family sustaining union jobs, plus hundreds of construction jobs, would be a significant addition to the community. What’s more, the mix of public and private dollars backing this facility could signal to other companies, including clean tech startups, that Holyoke and the Pioneer Valley are worth investing in.
Massachusetts-based Sublime Systems has innovated a new way to make cement, the most widely used construction material in the world, with zero carbon emissions. Typical cement (known as Ordinary Portland Cement) uses calcareous materials like limestone and chalk, which have a high carbon content, as its base. The kilns used in the manufacturing process are often heated by fossil fuels – including coal, oil, and gas. Many stages of this process release particulate matter – fine dust that can be inhaled into the lungs, other local air pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions. Sublime Cement™ uses inputs that don’t contain carbon and transforms those inputs from solid rocks into cement with an electrochemical process, eliminating the need for fossil fuels. These two innovations mean that Sublime Systems can produce cement without generating greenhouse gas emissions.
While cement is sometimes thought of as one of the few “legitimate” uses of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), Sublime’s innovation proves that we don’t need to resort to CCUS to make high-performing cement. For very good reason, communities are wary of CCUS on cement plants. Firstly, CCUS in other contexts is being used in a way that extends the lifespan of the fossil fuel industry. Secondly, CCUS doesn’t always address local pollutants coming from these sources that create significant public health harms. Sublime Systems avoids greenhouse gas emissions altogether and many other pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and more.
Ahead of the Curve Engaging the Community
Because Sublime was planning to build its plant in Holyoke even before it was selected for this DOE grant, the company is perhaps ahead of some of its peers receiving money from the Industrial Demonstrations Program to build new facilities. Community engagement has been underway for over a year and Sublime has hired a Holyoke-native as its Head of Project Development. According to its presentation at the DOE-hosted regional briefing, this early outreach enabled Sublime to connect with the Smithsonian Science Education Center to support STEM-related public education goals in Holyoke and the surrounding areas. They also plan to support workforce development to create pathways to jobs at Sublime and other climate tech companies.
Sublime Systems, with the help of public and private funding, is making a meaningful investment in a city with an industrial legacy waiting to be reignited. While the eastern side of Massachusetts has benefited from a tech and biotech boom in recent years, this project could be the first step towards an economic revival driven by clean manufacturing in the Pioneer Valley and beyond.
For more information, visit DOE’s Industrial Demonstrations Program page here with slides from the Northeast regional briefing.
If you would like to get involved with advocating on Community Benefits Agreements on a project in your community, please contact Iliana Paul at iliana.paul@sierraclub.org.