A New Jersey startup found an electrifying way to slash copper costs
17 days ago
- #clean-tech
- #copper-mining
- #startup
- Skyrocketing demand for copper is expected to push prices to new heights due to the global transition away from fossil fuels.
- Still Bright, a New Jersey-based startup, has developed a novel and cleaner method to extract nearly all copper from ores, including tailings.
- The company's vanadium-based solution avoids harmful pollution by soaking ores and regenerating the solution using electricity.
- Still Bright raised $18.7 million in seed funding led by Material Impact and Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
- The startup's modular system is smaller and 70-90% cheaper than traditional refining equipment.
- Still Bright plans to build a demonstration unit by 2027-2028, producing 500 tons of copper annually, scaling up to 10,000 tons commercially.
- The company aims to benefit from potential tariffs on copper imports under a Trump presidency to fund commercial-scale deployment.