What Rockburst Technologies does

Rockburst Technologies Inc. is a Vancouver-based cleantech company (founded 2020, subsidiary of Envisioning Labs) developing CoreBurst™, a rock comminution platform that uses pressurized transcritical CO2 to fracture ore and other mineral-bearing materials from within. The technology exploits the fact that rock is 10–30x weaker under tensile stress than compressive stress: CO2 in its supercritical state penetrates micro-cracks and grain boundaries, and rapid depressurization then expands the trapped gas, generating internal tensile forces that selectively fracture material along natural grain boundaries. The company is at Technology Readiness Level 5–6 and is targeting a 50 kg/hr continuous-mode pilot plant in 2027 and first commercial operation in 2029.

The intended customer base is anchored in mining operators (copper, nickel, lithium, and other critical mineral producers) — including strategic partners BHP, Anglo American, and an MoU with Ma'aden (Saudi Arabia) — with secondary use cases in cement/concrete decarbonization (limestone grinding, recycled-aggregate separation) and in industrial Carbon Dioxide Removal (sequestering 17 kg CO2/tonne in standard feedstocks and up to 160 kg/tonne in reactive ultramafic ores). Business model is pre-commercial and is being structured around three future revenue streams: technology licensing and royalties, equipment/plant deployment and support services, and potential verified carbon-removal credit revenue tied to integrated CO2 mineralization. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales supplemented by technical webinars, industry conferences (IMARC, Future Minerals Forum), and research collaborations with McMaster University, University of British Columbia, the University of Adelaide (Copper for Tomorrow CRC; Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources), CEMI, and the MICA Network.

The company has cumulative disclosed funding and grants of approximately $5M as of July 2025 — combining Innovate BC IGNITE and clean-tech grants, a $4.2M NSERC/McMaster research project, a $1M NorthX Climate Tech investment (late 2025), and a $2M CAD Seed Round currently in market — and is operating at TRL 5–6 with a small team (1–10 employees) plus a wholly-owned Australian subsidiary (Rockburst Australia, Adelaide).

Name

Rockburst Technologies

Legal name

Rockburst Technologies Inc.

Website

https://rockburst.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rockburst Technologies develops CoreBurst™, a transcritical CO2-based rock comminution technology that fractures ore from within to cut comminution energy use by ~50%, targeting mining operators (BHP, Anglo American, Ma'aden) with secondary applications in cement, concrete recycling, and carbon dioxide removal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Technology and Mineral Processing Equipment

NAICS

Mining Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333131)

SIC

Mining Machinery & Equip (No Oil & Gas Field Mach & Equip) (3532)

akta.pro primary industry

Comminution (Crushing, Grinding & Milling) (IMAKALAA)

Keywords

• Rock comminution technology
• Carbon dioxide pulverization
• Mineral processing equipment
• Cement decarbonization
• Industrial carbon removal

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Rockburst Technologies plans to commercialize its CoreBurst™ technology through licensing arrangements with mining operators and industrial partners. The company is developing a technology platform that can be deployed across mining, cement, and recycling industries.
2. Equipment/Plant Deployment: The company plans to deploy pilot-scale units (50 kg/hr continuous-mode pilot plant planned for 2027) and commercial units. Revenue would come from equipment sales, deployment, and ongoing technical support services.
3. Carbon Credits / CDR Revenue: Potential revenue stream from carbon mineralization - the technology sequesters CO₂ permanently in tailings/mineralized products, which could generate verified carbon removal credits. The company estimates the carbon removal market could reach $0.3-1.2 trillion annually by 2050.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rockburst Technologies develops CoreBurst™, a proprietary rock comminution technology that uses pressurized transcritical CO₂ to fracture ore and other mineral-bearing materials from within. The process exploits the natural tensile weakness of rock (10–30x lower than compressive strength) to achieve approximately 50% energy savings versus conventional grinding, eliminates the need for steel grinding media, and enables permanent CO₂ mineralization (17–160 kg CO₂ per tonne of feedstock). The company is pre-commercial, currently at TRL 5–6, and plans to deploy its first 50 kg/hr continuous-mode industrial pilot in 2027 and commercial units by 2029.

Product overview

Rockburst Technologies offers CoreBurst™ as its primary technology platform. CoreBurst™ is a transcritical CO₂-based rock pulverization system that replaces traditional mechanical crushing with thermodynamic fracture. The platform targets the mining, cement, and recycling industries, offering applications in sustainable mining (mineral liberation), cement/concrete decarbonization, and carbon dioxide removal. The company is developing the technology through a phased roadmap toward commercial pilot deployment, currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5-6.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CoreBurst™ Transcritical CO₂ Comminution System

Quantifiable outcome

• ~50% energy reduction compared to conventional comminution
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, emerging and supporting.

• University of British Columbia (UBC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2024UBC is a research partner in the mineral liberation study using CO2 Pulverization. Research activities conducted at the Coal and Mineral Processing Lab at UBC. Collaboration part of the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network.
• McMaster UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2024Rockburst collaborates with McMaster University on a $4.2M NSERC-funded research project to advance sustainable critical mineral extraction. Led by Dr. Nana Ofori-Opoku, the project evaluates CO2 Pulverization technology for energy-efficient mining of lithium, nickel, and other critical minerals. Early trials demonstrated 50% energy savings.
• Government of South AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2023Government of South Australia provided funding and business services support as part of the 'Thinking Critical South Australia' win. Supported establishment of Rockburst's first international subsidiary in Adelaide at CORE Innovation Hub in Lot Fourteen.
• Ma'adencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2023MoU signed with Ma'aden (one of the world's fastest growing mining companies headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) for assessment of Rockburst's tCO2 technology for experimental research and potential investment. MoU exchange ceremony held at Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh with HRH Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy.
• Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources (University of Adelaide)emergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2023Research collaboration with the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources and the Lunar Construction Group to explore space mining and recycling applications for tCO2 technology. The zero-gravity capability of the process enables potential off-world material processing applications.
• Copper for Tomorrow CRCmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2022Rockburst participates in Australia's Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) - Copper for Tomorrow, led by University of Adelaide. The CRC aims to contribute to the world's energy transition by accelerating Australian copper mining and production while moving toward zero emissions and waste.
• BHPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBHP is a strategic industry partner collaborating with Rockburst on the development and testing of CoreBurst™ technology for mining applications. The partnership represents validation from a major global mining company.
• Anglo AmericancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnglo American is a strategic partner working with Rockburst on technology validation for mineral processing applications. This partnership provides industry validation for the CoreBurst™ technology.
• Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEMI collaborates with Rockburst on technical briefings and advancement of the CoreBurst™ platform toward continuous-flow operation. CEMI provides expertise in mining innovation commercialization.
• Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMICA Network collaborates with Rockburst on the mineral liberation study and commercialization pathway for CoreBurst™ technology. MICA supports mining innovation across Canada.
• Foresight CanadasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerForesight Canada, Canada's leading cleantech accelerator, has recognized Rockburst as one of Canada's Top 50 Most Investible Cleantech Ventures in 2023 and 2024. Provides platform for investor connections and industry visibility.
• Envisioning LabscoreOthersEnvisioning Labs is the parent company of Rockburst Technologies Inc. Rockburst was founded as a subsidiary to research, develop, and commercialize the CoreBurst™ technology.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Metso: Metso is the world's largest manufacturer of crushers, grinding mills, and comminution equipment for the mining and aggregates industries. It directly competes with Rockburst's CoreBurst™ in supplying mineral-processing equipment to mining operators globally, and has established energy-efficiency programs targeting the same 3–4% of global electricity that CoreBurst™ addresses.
• FLSmidth: FLSmidth supplies comminution equipment (mills, crushers, HPGRs) and complete mineral processing plants to mining and cement customers worldwide. Like Rockburst, FLSmidth targets both mining and cement decarbonization, and competes for the same customers seeking to lower comminution energy intensity and CO₂ footprint.
• Weir Group (Weir Minerals): Weir Minerals is a major supplier of grinding mills, crushers, and wear-resistant mining equipment, including high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) that target reduced comminution energy use. It is directly comparable to Rockburst in offering grinding solutions to mining operators and is one of the most relevant incumbents CoreBurst™ must displace or partner with.
• thyssenkrupp Polysius: thyssenkrupp Polysius supplies grinding mills, pyroprocessing, and cement plant technology globally, with active R&D into lower-clinker cements and energy-efficient comminution. It is directly comparable to Rockburst in serving cement and mining customers seeking to decarbonize grinding and material processing.
• CITIC Heavy Industries: CITIC Heavy Industries is one of the world's largest manufacturers of grinding mills (AG, SAG, ball) and mining equipment, supplying major mining houses globally. It is a direct peer to Rockburst in the grinding-equipment category and competes for the same mining operator capex budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Sandvik is a large established mining equipment OEM offering drilling, loading, and crushing equipment, and is increasingly investing in automation and energy efficiency. It is a broader incumbent in mining equipment — adjacent to but not as specialized in pure comminution as Metso or FLSmidth — and represents a potential partner or competitor to Rockburst as mining customers consolidate vendors.
• Epiroc: Epiroc is a major mining and infrastructure equipment OEM covering drilling, loading, and rock processing. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Rockburst in serving large mining customers and could potentially expand into advanced comminution solutions as a complement to its existing portfolio.

Emerging players

• Carbfix: Carbfix dissolves CO₂ into water and injects it into basaltic rock formations for permanent mineralization — the same chemistry that underpins Rockburst's mineralization claims for ultramafic ores. It is an emerging CDR peer that validates the broader CO₂-mineralization thesis Rockburst is betting on.
• CarbonCure Technologies: CarbonCure injects CO₂ into fresh concrete to mineralize it permanently, generating verified carbon credits for the cement industry. It is an emerging CDR-in-concrete peer to Rockburst's cement/concrete recycling use case, sharing the same mission of decarbonizing cement via CO₂ mineralization.

Others

• Magotteaux: Magotteaux is the world's largest producer of grinding media (steel balls and grinding media) — the exact consumable that Rockburst's CoreBurst™ process eliminates. It is an "others" peer representing the incumbent grinding-media value chain that would be disrupted if CoreBurst™ achieves commercial scale, and is also a potential customer/partner for hybrid solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rockburst Technologies