Building solutions supplier Holcim US announced Tuesday that a project was recently completed at the firm’s Lafarge Joppa cement plant in Grand Chain, IL to transition the facility’s operations to production of OneCem Portland limestone cement (PLC).

“As a leader in our industry, it’s our responsibility to build a path for others to follow by setting the bar for product innovation and improvement,” Michel Klenk, plant manager for Holcim US, said in a company release. “OneCem fits the bill as a low-carbon product that allows for sustained performance with lower emissions – a major demand in the industry as we help our customers achieve significant emissions reductions while delivering products that continue to meet or exceed their exacting specifications.”

Holcim’s Joppa facility currently has a capacity of 500,000 tn/yr of cement that is sold across several parts of the US. Earlier projects to improve the sustainability of the site included the installation of a Selective Catalytic Reducer to lower emissions.

Converting to OneCem production will lower the Grand Chain plant’s CO2 emissions by 35,000 mt/yr. The company carried out similar projects at facilities in Missouri, Texas, and Michigan.