Fortera and MLC announce 300,000-tonne low-carbon cement plant in the US

US materials manufacturers Fortera and MLC have partnered to develop a 300,000 tonnes per annum low-carbon cement plant, equipped with carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) capabilities.

Fortera will supply the CCU process technology for the site to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from MLC’s high-calcium lime production and produce cement formed of nearly 50% captured CO2 by weight.

The company’s process technology integrates with existing cement and lime facilities to convert waste CO2 into productive feedstock, cutting CO2 emissions by 70% compared to ordinary Portland cement.

Product can be blended with Portland cement or used alone in a cost-competitive process.

The partners say the plant will represent the first industry-scale operation transforming waste CO2 into value-added cement globally.

The site announcement follows Fortera’s first commercial-scale cement plant in California, which produces 15,000 tonnes of green cement annually at US building materials manufacturer CalPortland’s Redding .

Planned cement production at the new site marks a 20 times scale-up from its first commercial low-carbon cement facility in California.

Market research shows US cement production generated 41.9 million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2022 alone.

This figure could be higher, considering outside of domestic cement production, the US imports almost 25% of its cement requirements to meet industry demand.