What Nuton does

Nuton, a wholly-owned Rio Tinto venture founded in 2021 with R&D roots dating to 1996, commercializes a proprietary nature-based bioleaching technology that uses cultivated, naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulfide ores — historically the most abundant but hardest-to-process copper resources globally. The core technology platform is an elevated-temperature biological leach process demonstrated to recover up to 85% of copper from chalcopyrite (and up to 88.3% at the AntaKori project), producing 99%-pure copper cathode on site and validated by 800+ column tests and a 75x scale-up from research to industrial deployment at Johnson Camp Mine in Arizona, where first copper was produced in December 2025. Nuton is also certified as the lowest-carbon primary copper producer in the United States (2.82 kgCO2e/kg, 45% lower water use than the global industry average, 80% less water and 60% less carbon than conventional routes). The platform is modular and deployable across greenfield, brownfield, and legacy mine sites, and is supported by a five-pillar Positive Impact framework (water, energy, land, materials, society).

Nuton operates as a hybrid technology provider and investment partner rather than a traditional vendor. It generates revenue through technology licensing, project-stage deployment payments, and copper production economics via co-investment arrangements, and has taken strategic equity stakes in partner miners (approximately 17.2% in McEwen Copper, approximately 16% in Regulus Resources, 7.2% in Arizona Sonoran). The company sells to copper mining companies globally and, increasingly, to downstream offtakers seeking certified low-carbon copper, with Amazon Web Services signed as its first data center customer. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales through bespoke, multi-year strategic partnerships, and its distribution footprint spans offices in Salt Lake City (US), Bundoora/Melbourne (Australia, R&D center of origin), and London (UK), with active projects in the US, Peru, Chile, and Argentina.

Name

Nuton

Legal name

Nuton LLC

Website

https://nuton.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture, commercializes proprietary nature-based bioleaching technology using cultivated microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulfide ores, achieving up to 85% recovery with significantly reduced water and carbon footprint.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Technology & Sustainable Copper Processing

NAICS

Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141), Copper, Nickel, Lead, and Zinc Mining (212230)

SIC

Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330), Metal Mining (1000)

akta.pro primary industry

Copper Hydrometallurgy (Leaching, SX/EW) (IMAKADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Copper Ore Mining (Open-Pit & Underground) (IMAKADAB), Copper Anode/Cathode Production & Handling (IMAKADAG)

Keywords

• Bioleaching technology
• Copper extraction solutions
• Mining technology licensing
• Sustainable mining services
• Hydrometallurgy solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing and Deployment: Nuton provides its proprietary bioleaching technology to mining partners through licensing and co-deployment agreements. The company acts as both a technology provider and investment partner, providing capital and expertise to deploy technology at partner mine sites in exchange for revenue sharing or milestone payments.
2. Copper Production Partnership: Revenue generated from copper production using Nuton technology at partner sites. Amazon Web Services has partnered with Rio Tinto to integrate bioleached copper into its US data center supply chain, with the operation targeting approximately 7,500 metric tons of refined copper annually.
3. Equity Investment Returns: Nuton holds equity stakes in partner companies (approximately 17.2% in McEwen Copper, approximately 16% in Regulus Resources) and generates returns through appreciation and exit events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nuton develops and licenses proprietary elevated-temperature bioleaching technology that uses naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulfide ores, achieving up to 85% recovery rates. The company operates as a technology provider and investment partner, deploying its technology at partner mine sites through licensing and co-investment arrangements while producing 99% pure copper cathode on site with significantly reduced water and carbon footprint.

Product overview

Nuton is a Rio Tinto venture offering a nature-based bioleaching technology platform for sustainable copper production. The core Nuton Technology portfolio uses proprietary elevated-temperature biological leach processes with naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulphides with up to 85% recovery rates. The company operates as a technology provider and investment partner, deploying its technology at partner mine sites including the flagship Johnson Camp Mine deployment in Arizona. Nuton's offerings include the core bioleaching technology system, industrial-scale deployment services, and the Positive Impact Framework focused on five sustainability pillars. The technology produces 99% pure copper cathode on-site, reduces water usage by up to 80% and carbon emissions by up to 60% compared to conventional processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nuton Bioleaching Technology Proprietary elevated-temperature biological leach process driven by naturally occurring microorganisms that accelerate copper leaching and enable copper recoveries from primary sulfides of up to 85%, producing 99% pure copper cathode on site. The technology is licensed to mining partners for deployment in greenfield, brownfield, and legacy sites.
• Johnson Camp Mine Bioleaching Deployment
• Nuton Positive Impact Framework Five-pillar sustainability framework covering water, energy, land, materials, and society that sets targets for achieving positive impacts at each deployment site, including replenishing water, generating renewable energy, regenerating land, and creating value from waste resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 85% copper recovery from primary sulfides (vs. industry norm of ~30-40% for primary sulfide processing)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered terminated, core/flagship, core and minor.

• Arizona Sonoran Copper CompanyterminatedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Arizona Sonoran and Nuton mutually agreed to early termination of their Option to Joint Venture agreement for the Cactus Project in Arizona. As part of termination, Arizona Sonoran paid Nuton $15 million immediately, $5 million deferred, and up to $14.96 million contingent on change of control. Arizona Sonoran will proceed independently with the project.
• Gunnison Copper Corp.core/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Nuton partnered with Gunnison Copper Corp. to restart operations at Johnson Camp Mine in Arizona, deploying proprietary bioleaching technology. The project operates both Gunnison's existing leaching method and Nuton Technology in parallel, with expected production up to 25 million pounds of copper annually. Nuton invested $100 million in technology deployment. First Nuton copper produced in December 2025.
• Lion Copper & Gold Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLion Copper & Gold is advancing the Yerington Copper Project in Nevada through an earn-in agreement with Nuton. Nuton LLC, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, agreed to proceed to Stage 3 of the option to earn-in agreement, providing up to US$31 million to advance the Definitive Feasibility Study, mine permitting, and technical work.
• BHP (Escondida)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEscondida, operated by BHP, is the largest producer of copper concentrates and cathodes in the world. Located in Antofagasta region, Chile. In Escondida's growth pathway, Nuton is being studied as one of competing technologies in leaching.
• Amazon Web Servicescore/flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon Web Services partnered with Rio Tinto to integrate bioleached copper—produced using cloud-optimized bioleaching processes—into its US data center supply chain. This was Nuton's first customer for copper supply to US data centers, one month after initial production. The copper is certified as lowest-carbon primary copper producer in the USA.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jetti Resources: Jetti Resources is the closest direct competitor to Nuton, developing proprietary catalyst-based technology to extract copper from low-grade primary sulfide ores. Both companies pursue enabling-leaching solutions for the same addressable resource (primary copper sulfides) and target similar mining partners.

Broad incumbents

• BHP: BHP is the world's largest copper concentrate and cathode producer (Escondida) and is actively evaluating bioleaching as a competing technology in its growth pathway. As an incumbent with massive ore-body access, BHP represents both a potential partner and a threat to Nuton's licensing economics.
• Freeport-McMoRan: Freeport-McMoRan is one of the world's largest copper miners with extensive sulfide operations globally. It is comparable to Nuton as a copper producer exposed to the same primary sulfide processing challenges Nuton's technology addresses.
• Glencore: Glencore is one of the largest diversified miners with significant copper exposure across South America and Africa. It is comparable as a large-scale incumbent copper producer facing the same primary sulfide recovery challenges Nuton's technology targets.
• Codelco: Codelco is the Chilean state-owned copper producer and the world's largest copper miner. It is comparable as an incumbent operator with extensive primary sulfide resources in Chile — one of Nuton's active partnership geographies.
• Anglo American: Anglo American operates major copper assets (e.g., Quellaveco in Peru, Collahuasi) and is exposed to the same primary sulfide processing challenges Nuton addresses. As a major mining house, it is a logical potential partner or competitor for Nuton's technology.

Others

• Rio Tinto: Rio Tinto is Nuton's parent company and a major copper producer (with operations including Kennecott). It is relevant as the corporate sponsor of Nuton's bioleaching platform and as a customer-adjacent participant in copper market dynamics that Nuton's tech addresses.

Emerging players

• Solaris Resources: Solaris Resources is a copper developer advancing the Warintza project in Ecuador. It is comparable as a partner-type emerging copper developer whose project economics could be enhanced by Nuton's bioleaching technology.
• Taseko Mines: Taseko Mines operates the Florence Copper project using in-situ copper recovery, a hydrometallurgical approach similar in principle to Nuton's leaching focus. It is comparable as a copper producer using non-conventional, lower-impact processing methods.
• Hudbay Minerals: Hudbay Minerals is a mid-tier copper miner with operations across the Americas. It is comparable as a regional copper operator whose sulfide ore bodies represent potential deployment sites for Nuton's bioleaching technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nuton

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments7 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Nuton