Fortera ReCarb Plant and ReAct Low-Carbon Cement

Fortera Corporation is a US low-carbon cement company headquartered in San Jose, California, whose cement chemistry traces back to a 2007 discovery inspired by coral reefs. It addresses the CO2 that cement and lime kilns release by capturing it and mineralising it into a reactive calcium carbonate cement, and does business through partnerships and IP licensing with cement and lime producers.

Its ReCarb plant bolts onto an existing cement or lime plant: CO2 from the kiln exhaust is absorbed into a solution of dissolved lime, precipitating calcium carbonate that is clarified, filter-pressed and dried into ReAct powder. ReAct Cement is a standalone binder based on vaterite converting to calcite and compliant with ASTM C1157, while ReAct Blend is added to portland cement to improve early strength and flow. The first commercial ReCarb plant runs at CalPortland's Redding, California site, supplying concrete producers and contractors.

• Kiln CO2 capture: CO2 from cement or lime kiln exhaust is fed directly into an absorber.
• Mineralisation: dissolved lime reacts with CO2 to precipitate reactive calcium carbonate.
• ReAct Cement: standalone vaterite-based binder compliant with ASTM C1157.
• ReAct Blend: supplement for portland cement that improves early strength and flow.
• Bolt-on plant: custom-engineered ReCarb units integrate with existing cement and lime plants.
• Quality system: the Redding plant is certified to ISO 9001:2015.

Vietnamese cement and lime plants can license a ReCarb unit to capture kiln CO2 and sell low-carbon cement plus carbon credits. Ready-mix producers supplying data centres or green-certified factories can use ReAct Blend to lower embodied carbon. Industrial groups can co-invest in a joint venture plant next to an existing kiln.

ReAct cement carries up to 70% lower CO2 emissions than ordinary portland cement, and project pours have recorded reductions of 37% to 46% in concrete carbon. The bolt-on plant design reuses existing kiln infrastructure, lowering capital expenditure without disrupting operations. ReAct Blend can be added to ASTM C150, C595 or C1157 cements or at the batch plant, so producers keep their existing workflows.

Cement and lime makers are looking for ways to cut kiln emissions without abandoning existing assets, and carbon capture with utilisation into products is gaining attention alongside carbon credit markets. Southeast Asian producers with large kiln fleets and growing green building demand are natural candidates for bolt-on licensing models that turn captured CO2 into saleable cement.

Headquarters and lab at 100 Great Oaks Blvd, San Jose, California, established in 2022. Partners and backers listed on its site include CalPortland, Microsoft (Climate Innovation Fund), Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Sumitomo Corporation, Saint-Gobain, Chryso and Graymont (2025 global deployment partnership). Selected Ste. Genevieve, Missouri with MLC for its first full-scale plant in 2026.