Press Release: Travertine starts operation of demonstration plant in Upstate New York

Travertine Technologies, Inc., an award-winning start-up scaling a process for carbon-negative, minimal-waste critical element production (the “Travertine Process”), today began operation of its demonstration plant. A formal ribbon cutting marked the event.

The core Travertine Process demonstrated at this plant combines three major unit operations: salt-splitting electrolysis, caustic direct air capture, and mineralization. This process produces sulfuric acid, calcium carbonate, and green hydrogen from waste gypsum and carbon dioxide captured directly from the air.

Sulfuric acid is a critical industrial acid that supports key industries in New York State and across the United States — such as the phosphate fertilizer, LFP battery, and metals refining industries. Calcium carbonate is a solid mineral that can be blended into cement and is a permanent store of carbon. Hydrogen can be used as an industrial fuel or for making products such as fertilizer.

This first-of-a-kind (FOAK) Travertine Process facility uses commercial-scale equipment and is a key step in scaling up the Travertine Process to world-scale plants. The demonstration plant will produce 125 tonnes per year of sulfuric acid, 125 tonnes per year of calcium carbonate, and 55 tonnes per year of gross carbon dioxide sequestration.

“This demo plant is an exciting next step as we scale up the core Travertine Process. Our process can be used for a number of vital industrial applications, including using our sulfuric acid to produce phosphoric acid for the fertilizer and LFP battery industries with our proprietary phosphoric acid production process,” said Laura Lammers, PhD, founder and CEO of Travertine. “What is unique about Travertine is that we enable carbon-negative critical chemical production without making mineral by-products that need to be landfilled.”

The demonstration plant will supply sustainable, fossil-free sulfuric acid for local partner Sabin Metal Corporation’s precious metals recycling and refining business. Future expansion could supply green hydrogen to replace natural gas for high-temperature industrial heat.

“Sabin Metal has long been committed to precious metals recycling with a focus on chemical reuse, sustainable procurement, and minimizing by-products. We are pleased to partner with Travertine to incorporate their sustainable sulfuric acid into our process and continue the legacy of innovation in the Rochester area,” said Brent Vesa, technical director at Sabin Metal Corporation.

“Travertine’s new demo plant is an exciting move for the company and the field. Their approach can generate durable carbon removal credits while producing valuable co-products like sulfuric acid, which can be used to make fertilizers and extract critical minerals,” said Giana Amador, executive director of the Carbon Removal Alliance. “Innovative approaches like this are how we will grow carbon removal to meet our climate goals and provide tangible benefits for existing industries and communities across the U.S.”

This project is supported by New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) with $3.2M in grant funding for the plant buildout. The new facility is also supported with $7.5M in funding from Builders Vision.

“Travertine has developed a novel technology that represents a true process innovation and that can scale rapidly to help major industries like fertilizer, cement, and mining significantly reduce their environmental footprint while strengthening their operations and long-term resilience,” said James Lindsay, director of investment at Builders Vision.