Brimstone to Produce Alumina, Bolstering U.S. Aluminum Supply Chain
– Brimstone finalizes up-to $189M federal award for efficient and sustainable Rock Refinery™ co-producing portland cement, a second concrete ingredient, and alumina from U.S.-sourced rocks
– Brimstone plant could be first new American source of alumina—a critical mineral essential for defense, aerospace, transportation, and energy—in a generation
OAKLAND, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Brimstone, a U.S. leader in industrial innovation, announced today that its deeply decarbonized cement manufacturing process will also produce smelter grade alumina—marking a major industrial milestone in the United States with direct implications for national security, domestic supply chains, and the economy. The Brimstone plant could represent the first new, domestic source of smelter grade alumina in a generation, entering a market currently led by China.
“Brimstone is working to create the industrial processes of the 21st century, leveraging co-production to unlock the economic value of common, domestically sourced rocks,” said Brimstone co-founder and CEO Cody Finke. “This milestone is a huge win for U.S. manufacturing, as we now can secure the entire alumina supply chain right here in the U.S.—fortifying the domestic supply of this critical mineral, reducing reliance on imports, and bringing jobs back home.”
Brimstone, which recently completed negotiations with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, was awarded nearly $8.7 million of the total federal cost share of up to $189 million to advance site selection for its $378 million, first-of-a-kind commercial demonstration plant, which will co-produce smelter grade alumina alongside previously announced co-products, portland cement and supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), another key concrete ingredient. This plant will serve as the initial realization of the Brimstone Rock Refinery™, the company’s larger vision to refine carbon-free calcium silicate rocks into multiple cost-competitive, deeply decarbonized co-products.
Alumina is the core material used to produce aluminum, the world’s second-most consumed metal. Aluminum’s high strength-to-weight ratio and versatility make it crucial to a vast range of industries, including defense, aerospace, transportation, construction, technology, consumer goods, and clean energy. The United States currently has only one operational alumina refinery, which relies on imported sources of unrefined alumina.
U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Treasury, Energy, and Commerce, have repeatedly recognized alumina as critical to U.S. strategic interests. Under the Trump Administration, the Department of Commerce issued a report highlighting the national security implications of foreign aluminum production, noting that nearly all vital infrastructure sectors depend on alumina and aluminum to perform their essential functions.
Critically, the Brimstone Process entirely avoids the need to import bauxite—a rock found in certain tropical and subtropical regions overseas, leading to supply chain challenges—by producing alumina from rocks abundant in the U.S. Given its importance, there is currently a global scramble to secure proven bauxite reserves. Brimstone replaces bauxite with carbon-free calcium silicate rocks, reducing the dependence of the U.S. alumina industry on imported bauxite.
Although the U.S. was once a leading aluminum producer, its supply chain now relies heavily on imports. China currently accounts for about 60% of global production of both alumina and aluminum, while the U.S. directly produces less than one-sixth of the aluminum it consumes. Import reliance puts the U.S. market at significant risk of supply disruptions and price volatility—evident in the record-high prices seen globally throughout 2024. Experts predict the U.S. market will grow from 70,000 tons in 2023 to 90,000 tons by 2050, further increasing these vulnerabilities.
Kevin Kramer, a former top executive at Alcoa and ATI, two leading U.S. industrial companies, and current Brimstone Senior Advisor, noted, “Aluminum is a linchpin of domestic aerospace, defense, and automotive applications, and increasing the domestic supply chain is critical to U.S. economic security. As the number of refineries and smelters declines across the country, establishing a new alumina source stateside is vital—and Brimstone’s 100% U.S.-based solution is exactly what the industry needs.”
Brimstone’s patented process leverages co-production to extract multiple minerals from this single rock—cutting costs, simplifying logistics, and reducing waste.
“The Brimstone Rock Refinery™ has cracked the code to transform the most common and abundant rocks into the critical materials our economy and infrastructure rely on,” said Hugo Leandri, Brimstone co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer. “This breakthrough technology not only reduces costs and environmental impacts but also paves the way for reshoring manufacturing and strengthening domestic supply chain resilience.”
Brimstone will begin pilot operations in 2025 and seeks to have its commercial demonstration plant operating by the end of the decade. The company is currently engaging with potential customers, including testing its deeply decarbonized cement and SCM.
Brimstone is actively hiring across departments.
See open roles here.
About Brimstone:
Brimstone developed a breakthrough, deeply decarbonized process to co-produce multiple industrial materials, including portland cement, supplementary cementitious materials, and smelter-grade alumina. The company was founded in 2019 at Caltech by Cody Finke and Hugo Leandri to develop next-generation industrial processes optimized for economics, efficiency, and sustainability. Brimstone has raised more than $60M to date from leading climate investors, including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, DCVC, Collaborative Fund, Amazon Climate Pledge, Fifth Wall, S2G Ventures, Acceler8, GVP Climate, Impact Science Ventures, Osage University Partners, and SystemIQ. In 2024, Brimstone was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for a $189M investment to build a first-of-its-kind plant to deliver cement, SCM, and alumina.
To learn more or get in touch, please visit Brimstone.com.
Contacts
Media Contact:
Liza Darwin
Head of Communications
