A concrete plan for sustainable cement | Ryan Gilliam - TED Talks Daily

Summary

Episode Summary: "A Concrete Plan for Sustainable Cement" by Ryan Gilliam

Podcast: TED Talks Daily
Host: Elise Hu
Release Date: March 13, 2025

Introduction

In this compelling episode of TED Talks Daily, hosted by Elise Hu, Ryan Gilliam presents a transformative approach to addressing the significant carbon emissions associated with the cement industry. Highlighting the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases, Gilliam offers a pragmatic solution that aligns with existing industrial practices, aiming to mitigate climate change without jeopardizing jobs or dismantling established industries.

The Urgency of Reducing Cement-Related Emissions

Ryan Gilliam opens his talk by emphasizing the critical role of industrial emissions in the climate crisis. He states:

"To solve climate change, we have to focus on the big emissions. I'm talking the gigatons, billions of tons of greenhouse gases coming from industries like steel or chemicals or energy."
[02:27]

He zeroes in on cement, underscoring its massive environmental footprint:

"Cement alone accounts for roughly 8% of the world's CO2 emissions. So if it were a country, it would be producing more emissions than India and sit in third place just behind the United States."
[02:45]

This comparison starkly illustrates the magnitude of the problem, positioning cement as a pivotal target for emission reductions.

Understanding Cement’s Carbon Footprint

Gilliam breaks down why cement production is so carbon-intensive:

"The main ingredient in cement is limestone. Limestone is a type of rock that is actually 44% by weight, solid CO2. And so to make cement, you put that limestone into a kiln and you heat it up to 1450 degrees Celsius using fossil fuels like coal and gas."
[03:20]

He explains that the process not only emits CO₂ from burning fossil fuels but also releases the CO₂ embedded within limestone during the heating process. This dual source of emissions makes cement production particularly challenging from an environmental standpoint.

Innovative Approaches Inspired by Nature

Drawing inspiration from natural processes, Gilliam discusses how his company, Forterra, seeks to emulate biological mechanisms to reduce emissions:

"Calera took its cues from nature and how nature forms its building blocks. So if you look at coral reefs and shells in nature, what actually happens is you absorb CO2 in the ocean and make this reactive form of limestone, these little ball structures called vaterite."
[04:10]

By mimicking how marine organisms incorporate CO₂ into their structures, Forterra developed a method to convert waste CO₂ into a usable form within the cement production process.

Integrating Technology Within the Existing Cement Ecosystem

Acknowledging the cement industry's risk-averse nature, Gilliam outlines a strategy that complements rather than disrupts current practices:

"We have to focus on what or we have to leverage what the industry already does incredibly well."
[04:55]

He identifies four key pillars to achieve sustainable cement:

Utilizing Existing Feedstocks: Leveraging materials already used at cement plants to maintain consistency and scalability.
Capital Infrastructure Integration: Incorporating new technologies into existing facilities to reduce costs and implementation timeframes.
Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring new products meet all current standards to facilitate adoption by contractors.
Economic Competitiveness: Producing sustainable cement without additional costs, eliminating the need for a green premium.

Transformative Technology: Doubling Product Output and Halving Emissions

Gilliam reveals Forterra's breakthrough technology that operates alongside traditional cement kilns:

"We can bolt onto the back of their process, capture the CO2 gas coming out of the kiln with the lime that we produce from that limestone, and produce this product that can then be blended with traditional cement or utilized as 100% cement replacement."
[06:10]

This integration not only captures emitted CO₂ but also transforms it into a valuable product, effectively doubling the amount of cement produced. The result is a significant reduction in emissions:

"By doing so, we effectively double the amount of product we make, which is what makes it economically competitive. We're able to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% per ton when still using the fossil fuels."
[07:00]

Further enhancements using clean energy sources can push emissions reductions to zero.

Proof of Concept and Scaling Up

Gilliam shares the tangible success of Forterra's approach:

"Our plant in Northern California came online earlier in 2024 and proves this ability to bolt onto an existing plant and make a product that the industry can actually use."
[07:40]

Since its inception four years prior, Forterra has rapidly scaled operations by collaborating with established cement manufacturers, ensuring their solutions are both practical and scalable on a global level.

Collaborative Efforts and Industry Partnership

Emphasizing collaboration over competition, Gilliam highlights the importance of working within the cement industry's framework:

"Our secret sauce is fitting within the existing cement ecosystem and developing a product that's better from a pollution standpoint, while at the same time providing all the performance you need and that the contractors can work with."
[08:15]

This cooperative approach facilitates widespread adoption and positions Forterra alongside other innovators striving to achieve similar environmental goals.

Vision for the Future

Concluding his talk, Gilliam presents a hopeful vision:

"By working with industry, as opposed to competing with industry, we can pave the way to zero CO2 cement and solve the 4 billion tons coming from the cement industry in the next few decades."
[09:00]

He calls for continued partnership and innovation to realize the potential of sustainable cement, underscoring the feasibility of large-scale carbon reduction without sacrificing industrial integrity or economic viability.

Conclusion

Ryan Gilliam's presentation offers a visionary yet practical roadmap for transforming the cement industry into a cornerstone of sustainable development. By leveraging existing infrastructures and fostering industry collaboration, Forterra exemplifies how technological innovation can address pressing environmental challenges without disrupting established economic frameworks. This approach not only promises substantial reductions in global carbon emissions but also sets a precedent for other industries grappling with similar sustainability dilemmas.

Notable Quotes:

"Cement alone accounts for roughly 8% of the world's CO2 emissions. So if it were a country, it would be producing more emissions than India and sit in third place just behind the United States."
[02:45]
"By capturing that product and turning it back, capturing that CO2 and turning it back into a product, we effectively double the amount of product we make, which is what makes it economically competitive."
[07:10]
"By working with industry, as opposed to competing with industry, we can pave the way to zero CO2 cement and solve the 4 billion tons coming from the cement industry in the next few decades."
[09:00]

Additional Information:

For those interested in exploring more about this innovative approach and Forterra's initiatives, visit forterra.com or follow their developments through TED's platforms.

Transcript

Paige Desorbo (0:00)

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Elise Hu (1:11)

Support for this show comes from Capital One. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply see capital1.com bank capital1na member FDIC. You're listening to Ted Talks Daily where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hunter. We know that we have to reduce carbon emissions quickly and at a massive scale if we are to stop climate change from getting any worse. But can we do this without destroying industries and cutting jobs? Cement entrepreneur Ryan Gilliam says that we must work with industries rather than fight against them. Coming up, how to create zero carbon building materials that can compete in today's market and how this approach can be a model for other industries on a warming planet.

Ryan Gilliam (2:27)

To solve climate change, we have to focus on the big emissions. I'm talking the gigatons, billions of tons of greenhouse gases coming from industries like steel or chemicals or energy. Or what? I focus on cement. Think of it as the glue in concrete, which is the second most consumed thing on the earth, second only to water. Cement alone accounts for roughly 8% of the world's CO2 emissions. So if it were a country, it would be producing more emissions than India and sit in third place just behind the United States. We have to solve for those emissions. So I have good news. We can actually reduce or eliminate those emissions if we focus on technologies that actually work within the existing cement ecosystem. Look, cement and concrete are a risk averse industry for good reason. It's going into bridges and tunnels and buildings where performance and safety matter. So if we're going to have a meaningful impact on the CO2 emissions in this space, we have to focus on what or we have to leverage what the industry already does incredibly well. And that comes down to really four things. First is leveraging the same feedstocks that are already used at every cement plant and already at the billions of ton scale. Second, it's leveraging as much of the capital infrastructure, from quarry through to product distribution that's already in place to drive down costs and timelines. Third is producing a product that actually fits within the existing regulations so that contractors will be comfortable putting that product to market. And fourth, and most importantly is producing a product that's economically competitive with traditional cement without a green premium. So in order to understand how to actually achieve this, we have to look at cement in a little bit more detail. Why is it actually so CO2 intensive? Well, the main ingredient in cement is limestone. Limestone is a type of rock that is actually 44% by weight, solid CO2. And so to make cement, you put that limestone into a kiln and you heat it up to 1450 degrees Celsius using fossil fuels like coal and gas. The whole reason why you're heating it up is to actually drive those CO2 out of that limestone. So not only do you have the emissions from the carbon fuels, you also have the emissions from the limestone itself. So how did it get there in the first place? Well, that's where the company I run today got its inspiration from, a company that started 17 years ago called Calera. Calera took its cues from nature and how nature forms its building blocks. So if you look at coral reefs and shells in nature, what actually happens is you absorb CO2 in the ocean and make this reactive form of limestone, these little ball structures called vaterite. When you do that, you end up making this beautiful white powder that is actually 44% by weight, CO2, and when you add water to it, it's going to want to transform back to aragonite or calcite going through a cementing reaction. So what this allows us to do is take CO2 from being a waste and actually Put it into the product. It's a brilliant concept. So problem solved, right? Unfortunately, no. The concept worked technically, but it wasn't grounded in economics and it was competitive as opposed to additive to the cement space. So we had to look at the problem in another way. How do we use that? Or how do we fit within the existing cement industry as it is today, making a product that's cheap enough and can actually get to the gigatons of savings. So what we figured out is we could take that technology and put it at existing cement kilns alongside existing cement manufacturers. In doing so, we can bolt onto the back of their process, capture the CO2 gas coming out of the kiln with the lime that we produce from that limestone, and produce this product that can then be blended with traditional cement or utilized as 100% cement replacement. By actually capturing that product and turning it back, capturing that CO2 and turning it back into a product, we effectively double the amount of product we make, which is what makes it economically competitive. So a little bit comically, we're taking limestone and we're turning it back into limestone, but we're going from an inert rock to a form of limestone that is actually a cement. And in doing so, we're able to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% per ton when still using the fossil fuels. And if we integrate with clean electricity or green fuels, we get all the way to a zero CO2 cement. So by dropping directly into existing plants, utilizing the existing product distribution channels, we can work with the big cement players that already understand how to get to scale and how to get to a cheap cost. And that's how we get to gigaton reductions. And this is real. While Forterra is only a four year old company, we were able to scale quickly to our first commercial plant because we worked with the industry. Our plant in Northern California came online earlier in 2024 and proves this ability to bolt onto an existing plant and make a product that the industry can actually use. And we're not stopping there with plans to scale globally. And thankfully, we're also not alone. There's a host of other companies working on trying to solve emissions in cement and concrete. But our secret sauce is fitting within the existing cement ecosystem and developing a product that's better from a pollution standpoint, while at the same time providing all the performance you need and that the contractors can work with. By scaling this way and working with the industry, we can get to these gigaton savings. So again, by working with industry, as opposed to competing with industry, we can pave the way to zero CO2 cement and solve the 4 billion tons coming from the cement industry in the next few decades. Thank you.