Advanced materials company Fortera announced it secured $85 million in Series C funding to scale the deployment of its low-carbon cement technology that integrates with existing infrastructure. This funding round included participation from previous investors Khosla Ventures and Temasek, and first-time investments from Wollemi Capital, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Presidio Ventures, and Alumni Ventures.
With operations at the company’s Redding ReCarb Plant underway, Fortera is prepared to move forward with more plants that will produce ReAct green cement – which has 70% less carbon dioxide (CO2) per ton than ordinary cement.
Fortera’s ReCarb process bolts onto existing cement manufacturing plants, captures the industrial carbon dioxide emissions from traditional cement production, and converts it to mineral form to achieve ready-to-use low-carbon cement. And since the company’s process integrates into established infrastructure, including feedstocks, capital investments, logistics, and sales networks, the path to wide-scale commercialization is shorter and more cost-effective. Plus, Fortera’s ReCarb technology operates at a significantly reduced kiln temperature and is compatible with renewable energy integration, which would further reduce emissions and enable zero carbon dioxide cement production.
Fortera’s technology results from 100,000+ hours of research and development, supported by over 100 issued and pending global patents and over a decade of real-world product testing. And the company’s ReAct cement, a unique form of calcium carbonate created from mineralized industrial carbon dioxide, matches the strength and durability of ordinary cement. It meets existing regulations and is ASTM-approved as a partial cement substitute. ReAct can be used alone or mixed with ordinary cement, reducing the carbon footprint of construction projects while maintaining strength and enhancing workability.
KEY QUOTES:
“Due to the scale of the industry, we won’t have an impact on emissions unless we have an economic pathway to expand globally. With the launch of our first plant and the close of this funding round, we’re entering into the next phase of our development as a commercial project company to accelerate low- to zero-carbon cement deployment. It’s vital to have the financial means to put operations in place to commercialize our technology, and we are honored to have the backing and expertise of some of the most knowledgeable investment firms in project finance and the cement and concrete industry as we carve the path to zero CO2 cement.”
- Ryan Gilliam, CEO and co-founder of Fortera
“To address carbon emissions in this challenging industrial sector, we need to make the best use of the resources already in place. Fortera does what previous green cement technologies have failed to do—it works with cement companies to provide an accessible solution to a cleaner industry. The compatibility with today’s ecosystem makes us confident that Fortera’s process is the most effective technology to decarbonize cement and achieve meaningful climate impact more quickly. We are pleased to bring Wollemi’s expertise in financing next generation infrastructure projects to support the development of future plants.”
- Natalie Volpe, Director at Wollemi Capital
“Our investment in Fortera aligns with Saint-Gobain’s priority toward the decarbonization of industries and our commitment of working with startups that are moving the world forward with sustainable innovations. We look forward to fostering our relationship with Fortera as they continue to evolve cement technology aimed at reducing environmental impact, while also reducing carbon emissions through manufacturing facility upgrades.”
• ⁃ Basma Kharrat, Vice President, External Venturing, Saint-Gobain
