Supra Elemental Recovery

What Supra Elemental Recovery does

Supra Elemental Recovery is an Austin, Texas-based startup commercializing a platform that recovers high-purity critical minerals, including gallium and scandium, from industrial waste streams such as mine tailings, industrial byproducts, and electronic waste. Founded in early 2026 as a spinout from the University of Texas at Austin, the company addresses the U.S.'s 100% import dependence on these minerals by converting domestic waste into refined materials for semiconductor, aerospace, defense, energy, and electronics manufacturers. The company is led by co-founders Katie Durham (CEO) and Jordan Sessler (COO), with the underlying technology developed by three UT Austin faculty co-inventors: Dr. Jonathan Sessler (supramolecular chemistry), Dr. Zachariah Page (polymer science), and Dr. Michael Cullinan (advanced manufacturing).

The core technology integrates supramolecular chemistry with 3D-printed porous polymer cartridges that function as reusable sponge-like filters. When industrial waste dissolved in common solvents (water and alcohol) is pumped through these cartridges, individual critical minerals are captured and released in sequence, enabling multi-element recovery (gallium, scandium, cobalt, lithium, and lanthanides) from a single feedstock stream. Early laboratory results reportedly demonstrate up to 100 times greater selectivity and speed compared to conventional acid-based refining, and the modular design allows integration into existing mining flowsheets or standalone deployment. The non-toxic solvent system eliminates the capital-intensive, environmentally hazardous infrastructure that defines incumbent critical-minerals refining.

Supra operates a pre-commercial business model with commercial pilots targeted for 2026 and revenue not yet generated. Anticipated revenue streams include the sale of recovered high-purity minerals to industrial offtakers and the licensing or sale of modular recovery systems to existing mining operators for by-product capture. The company pursues an enterprise field-sales motion targeting strategic counterparties in defense, mining, and semiconductor supply chains, supported by go-to-market channels including its Rio Tinto and Founders Factory accelerator selection and Defense Industrial Base Consortium membership. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and no commercial customers have been announced.

Name

Supra Elemental Recovery

Legal name

Supra Elemental Recovery, Inc.

Website

https://getsupra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Supra Elemental Recovery is an Austin-based UT Austin spinout that uses proprietary supramolecular chemistry and 3D-printed porous cartridges to selectively recover high-purity gallium, scandium, and other critical minerals from industrial waste streams for semiconductor, aerospace, defense, and mining customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Critical Minerals Recovery and Refining

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341), Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810), Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Precious & Specialty Metal Recovery (Smelting, Refining, Hydrometallurgy) (EUAIAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catalyst Recovery, Regeneration & Reclamation Services (IMAEAIAM), Solid–Liquid Separation & Dewatering (Thickening, Filtration, Clarification) (IMAKALAF), Mining & Heavy Metals Remediation (Acid Mine Drainage, tailings-impacted sites) (BPALAKAK)

Keywords

• Critical minerals recovery
• Mineral extraction technology
• Industrial waste processing
• Gallium scandium recovery
• Critical materials refining

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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. Critical Minerals Recovery and Sale: Supra recovers high-purity critical minerals (gallium, scandium, and others) from industrial waste streams and sells the refined minerals to buyers in semiconductor, aerospace, defense, energy, and electronics sectors. The company also positions its technology as a modular add-on for existing mining operations to enable multi-element by-product recovery.
2. Platform Licensing / Technology Commercialization: The proprietary modular cartridge-based recovery platform can be licensed or deployed at partner sites, generating licensing fees or system sale revenue. Supra is building a technology business that turns overlooked U.S. waste streams into secure domestic supply of high-value elements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Supra Elemental Recovery is developing a modular critical minerals recovery platform that uses proprietary reusable 3D-printed porous polymer cartridges combined with supramolecular chemistry to selectively capture and release high-purity critical minerals such as gallium, scandium, cobalt, and lithium from industrial waste streams including mine tailings, industrial byproducts, and electronic waste. The platform is designed to plug into existing mining flowsheets or operate standalone, using common non-toxic solvents (water and alcohol) instead of harsh acids, with early results showing up to 100x greater selectivity and speed compared to incumbent refining methods.

Product overview

Supra Elemental Recovery is developing a modular critical minerals recovery platform that combines proprietary 3D-printed porous polymer cartridges with supramolecular chemistry to selectively recover high-purity critical minerals from diverse waste streams. The platform is designed for multi-element recovery, using sequential cartridges that isolate and refine individual elements. The core platform integrates into existing flowsheets or operates standalone, targeting the U.S.'s 100% import dependence for gallium and scandium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Critical Minerals Recovery Platform A modular, high-selectivity, non-toxic critical minerals recovery platform that turns overlooked U.S. waste streams (industrial byproducts, mine tailings, e-waste) into secure domestic supply of high-value elements including gallium, scandium, cobalt, and lithium. The platform uses proprietary reusable sponge-like cartridges that selectively capture and release critical minerals in sequence, achieving up to 100x greater selectivity and speed compared to incumbent refining methods, and integrates into existing mining flowsheets or operates standalone.
• Recovered High-Purity Critical Minerals Refined high-purity critical minerals (gallium, scandium, and other elements such as cobalt, lithium, and lanthanides) recovered from industrial waste streams using Supra's proprietary cartridge-based platform. Sold to semiconductor manufacturers, aerospace and defense contractors, and electronics buyers seeking domestically sourced, non-import-dependent supply.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 100x greater selectivity and speed compared to incumbent refining methods, enabling higher purity and lower costs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC)coreOthers · 21 May 2026Supra joined the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), a collaborative initiative focused on advancing secure, innovative, and resilient solutions for the nation's defense industrial base. As a member, Supra participates in working groups to share best practices, contribute to research, and support the consortium's mission of strengthening national security through industrial collaboration. DIBC membership follows the strategic investment from Rio Tinto and advances Supra's mission to expand domestic critical minerals processing capacity for national security applications.
• Founders FactoryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Founders Factory is a startup accelerator and venture capital firm that builds and funds startups together with exceptional entrepreneurs and leading companies. Through their partnership with Rio Tinto, Founders Factory selected Supra as one of six global startups in the mining technology accelerator cohort focused on exploration and processing technologies. The program provides Supra with global mining industry expertise, operational facilities access, and commercialization support to accelerate path to market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• HyProMag: UK-based company commercializing rare earth magnet recycling via hydrogen processing of magnet scrap. Comparable critical mineral recovery from secondary feedstocks using a proprietary chemical process; geographic competition is indirect given Supra's U.S. focus.
• REEtec: Norwegian company operating an industrial-scale rare earth separation facility using a proprietary solvent extraction process. Closest European analog to Supra's selective recovery approach, though focused on primary rare earth feedstocks.

Emerging players

• Redwood Materials: Recovers lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper from end-of-life batteries and e-waste. Focus is battery materials rather than gallium/scandium, but shares the same domestic critical minerals supply chain thesis and waste-feedstock business model.
• Li-Cycle: Public battery recycling company recovering lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other materials from lithium-ion batteries. Overlaps with Supra's modular recovery approach but is focused specifically on battery feedstocks at greater scale.
• USA Rare Earth: U.S. critical minerals company developing domestic rare earth and critical mineral processing capabilities, including magnet manufacturing. Competes for the same domestic supply chain narrative and U.S. government offtake opportunities as Supra.

Direct peers

• Nth Cycle: Direct competitor in critical and battery metals recovery from scrap and waste streams using electrochemistry-based processing. Targets nickel, cobalt, and rare earths from e-waste and manufacturing scrap — the same end-market Supra is pursuing with a different separation chemistry.
• Cyclic Materials: Recycles rare earth elements and other critical materials from end-of-life magnets and electronics. Operates in the same critical mineral recovery from waste streams category with comparable target customers and feedstock approach.
• Phoenix Tailings: Early-stage company developing proprietary rare earth and critical mineral extraction and refining processes free of toxic chemicals. Directly competes with Supra in domestic, non-toxic recovery of critical minerals from secondary sources.

Broad incumbents

• MP Materials: Owner and operator of the Mountain Pass rare earth mine and processing facility in California; the most advanced U.S. domestic rare earth and critical mineral producer. Represents both the incumbent Supra aims to complement and the long-term competitive benchmark for domestic refining capacity.

Others

• Crucible Capital: Lead investor in Supra's pre-seed round and a specialist investor in critical materials supply chains. Included as an ecosystem/peer relationship given Crucible's portfolio of comparable critical minerals and refining startups.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/supra-elemental-recovery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 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 Supra Elemental Recovery