FEATURE STORY
INNOVATION
New Material Plant Nears Completion Keith Krugh, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Fortera
Above: Fortera Team, San Jose, CA - July, 2023.
F
ortera is focused on reducing emissions from cement production. Our new lowcarbon cement plant in Redding, California will intercept the CO2 emissions from the existing CalPortland kiln and convert them into a new kind of cementitious material. As we near the final stages of construction, we are thrilled to report several significant milestones, including major equipment setting, kiln stack tapping, and completing the design of a human-machine interface (HMI). Each of these milestones brings us closer to providing the cement industry with
8
a near-term solution for cement decarbonization mandates with an approach that is economically, environmentally, and logistically feasible. With the second largest cement production in the nation, the State of California passed legislation in 2021 requiring cement producers to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% below the 2019 baseline levels by 2035, and to achieve zero net emissions by 2045. Since then, the industry has taken many innovative approaches to transition to a lower emissions
future, but to get to a zero emissions future, we must look beyond the energy sources required to produce and transport cementitious materials. An estimated 60% of emissions from cement production are released when heating limestone to produce clinker, regardless of energy source. This is where our scientists and engineers at Fortera are focused as we scale up cement decarbonization with our partners in the industry. Fortera has created a new kind of cement inspired by nature. Coral and seashells use CO2 as a cement ingredient to form hard calciumThe Conveyor • 2023 Fall Issue