Brimstone’s growth continues in 2024, as we announce plans to increase the headcount capacity at our newly expanded R&D facility in Oakland, CA.
We recently finalized a lease to increase our office and lab facility by more than 5,000 square feet—with the broader footprint accommodating the growing production demands associated with scaling our decarbonized process for manufacturing ordinary portland cement (OPC) and supplementary cementitious materials (SCM).
Initially established in 2021 in West Oakland, Brimstone’s R&D lab has experienced rapid growth in recent months, necessitating the expansion of our headquarters and laboratory facilities.
Hugo Leandri, Brimstone's co-founder, stated, "Expanding our R&D facility and corporate space is a logical progression in Brimstone’s journey as we refine our processes, grow our team, and scale as a company. Oakland has been our home since the beginning, and we're proud to reaffirm our commitment to this community."
The new space will be highly adaptable to allow for an increasing scope of work as we advance plans to construct larger-scale plants, including a plant in Nevada, a commercial demonstration plant (currently in site selection), and, ultimately, full-scale industrial plants.
Key enhancements include increased space for equipment construction, process refinement, and product testing; expansion of the cement ASTM lab, which validates that Brimstone products meet industry standards; additional office space, and streamlined functionality within the facility.
Beyond its role as a laboratory for quality control, process engineering, and testing, the space will serve as a climate innovation hub for hosting school groups, policymakers, and visitors interested in learning more about our novel approach to decarbonizing cement production.
Brimstone remains the first and only company to produce ultra-low carbon ordinary portland cement—the type of cement used in virtually all construction projects globally—without carbon capture.
In 2023, a third-party lab validated that Brimstone cement meets all physical and chemical requirements for OPC, meaning it can be used anywhere conventional OPC is used. In March 2024, the Department of Energy’s Industrial Demonstrations Program selected Brimstone for a $189 million investment to help finance our first commercial-scale, deeply decarbonized cement plant.
As the next step in our commercialization roadmap, we are advancing plans for our plant outside of Reno, Nevada, while simultaneously scouting locations for subsequent plants.