Ryan Gilliam

Material Influencer

Fortera

Why you should listen

Ryan Gilliam, PhD, is a serial entrepreneur whose most recent venture looks at reducing the CO2 impact of the concrete industry via cement. With experience in the chemical industry as well as hydrogen, he brings clean technology expertise to speedily solve pollution challenges in an industry responsible for nearly 10 percent of global emissions.

Ryan Gilliam’s TED Talk

Ryan Gilliam
A concrete plan for sustainable cement
6 minutes
Cement is one of the most-consumed materials on Earth — second only to water — and it accounts for a whopping eight percent of the world's carbon pollution. What if we could turn this climate villain into a hero? Clean tech innovator and serial entrepreneur Ryan Gilliam reveals his company's surprisingly simple process for transforming waste from the cement-making process back into limestone using existing infrastructure, creating a competitive and eco-friendly product that could pave the way for gigaton-scale climate solutions.
Posted Mar 2025