Two plan sulphuric acid demo plant

Travertine Technologies and precious metal refiner Sabin Metal have announced plans have revealed plans to build a demonstration plant at Sabin’s main facility near Rochester, New York. This will create sustainable, fossil-free sulfuric acid for Sabin’s adjacent operations via the carbon-negative ‘Travertine Process’.

Using this process, gypsum previously mined at the site and CO₂ from the air will be converted into sulfuric acid, green hydrogen and calcium carbonate by means of salt-splitting electrolysis, caustic direct air capture and mineralisation. Future expansion could supply green hydrogen to replace natural gas for high-temperature industrial heat.

The project has received $3.2 million in support from the New York State Energy R&D Authority and $7.5 million in venture debt from ‘impact platform’ on top of the $8.5 million Travertine raised earlier this year to commercialise its core process.

“Because of the scale of global sulfuric acid use, our process has economical gigatonne-scale CO₂ removal potential, while simultaneously eliminating industrial sulfate waste,” claimed Dr Laura Lammers, founder and CEO of Travertine. It is also applicable to other critical element production processes central to the energy transition and other industries, including lithium, nickel, phosphorus and cement.