CARBON
NEGATIVE
ZERO-WASTE
LITHIUM
NICKEL
PHOSPHORUS
Critical elements such as lithium and phosphorus help drive decarbonization and feed the world. We partner with mining and fertilizer industries to recycle wastes into green chemicals and carbon-negative building materials.
THE TRAVERTINE
PROCESS
ONE PROCESS, MULTIPLE BENEFITS
ELIMINATE WASTE + CREATE VALUE
Mining and fertilizer production produce billions of tons of sulfate byproducts. Managing these byproducts is a major operational cost and environmental liability. Our process produces carbon-negative building materials instead of sulfate byproducts.
CARBON-NEGATIVE SULFURIC ACID
Sulfuric acid is the world’s most-used inorganic chemical. Currently, most sulfur used to produce sulfuric acid is a fossil fuel byproduct. Travertine leads industrial decarbonization with a fossil-free process to produce and recycle sulfuric acid.
CARBON REMOVAL + PERMANENT SEQUESTRATION
The Travertine Process integrates direct air capture (DAC) to remove CO2 from the air and permanently store it in building materials. Our precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) can be used to help decarbonize cement.
GREEN HYDROGEN
Hydrogen is central to the energy transition for industrial uses such as steel making, process heat, transportation, and beyond. However, 96% of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels with heavy emissions. Our process optionally co-produces cost-competitive green hydrogen.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Electrolysis generates sulfuric acid and caustic solutions. Sulfuric acid is used to extract valuable elements from ores, creating sulfate byproducts.
2. Direct Air Capture (DAC) uses caustic solution to pull carbon dioxide from the air.
3. Mineralization uses captured carbon dioxide to convert sulfate byproducts into carbon-negative building materials.
WHO
WE ARE
Our team is working to scale the Travertine Process for chemical recycling, no-waste critical element extraction, and decarbonized building materials. Our process mimics the natural cycles that regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide. Travertine is based in Boulder, CO, USA with a team of engineers and scientists dedicated to scaling practical solutions to climate change.
JOIN OUR TEAM >
OUR ORIGIN STORY
Travertine was founded by Laura Lammers, PhD, a former professor of geochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and leading expert in carbonate mineralization. Laura had been working on carbonates her entire career and wondered how we could clean up and decarbonize the materials we rely on for the energy transition. The Travertine Process was inspired by two key insights:
1. To utilize and sequester CO2 at the gigaton-scale, we need gigaton-scale products for the world’s largest industries, and
2. If we couple carbonate mineralization with critical element production, we can reduce cost while eliminating waste.
1. To utilize and sequester CO2 at the gigaton-scale, we need gigaton-scale products for the world’s largest industries, and
2. If we couple carbonate mineralization with critical element production, we can reduce cost while eliminating waste.
AWARDS &
MEDIA
ACCOLADES
A new demo plant will repurpose mining waste and also capture CO2
Travertine’s demo facility in Rochester, NY, will upcycle captured CO2 and discarded gypsum into sulfuric acid for use in a nearby metals company’s operations.
Travertine makes sulfuric acid while sequestering carbon
Technology startup Travertine has developed a process to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and sequester it permanently, while also making sulfuric acid, reportedly the most used inorganic chemical in the world.
Mining independence is the key to energy independence
Travertine has a circular economy play: capture carbon by upcycling sulfuric acid from mine waste and then use that acid for the extraction of lithium, nickel and cobalt.
INVESTORS
& PARTNERS
LET'S
GET
STARTED
Interested in eliminating your sulfate byproducts, increasing your sulfuric acid capacity, or reaching net-zero targets with permanent CDR or decarbonized building materials? Contact us!