Supra Elemental Recovery Inc. launches with goal to recover high-purity critical minerals

Supra Elemental Recovery Inc. has launched to recover high-purity critical minerals from postindustrial material streams. The company initially is targeting elements such as gallium (Ga) and scandium (Sc), which are used in semiconductors, aerospace, energy, defense and communications.

The Austin, Texas-based company is a spinout from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). It was founded by CEO Katie Durham and Chief Operating Officer Jordan Sessler and uses technology that builds on federally supported research conducted at UT Austin, one of the nation’s leading institutions in materials science and engineering.

“Supra's mission is to shift the paradigm for critical mineral recovery in the U.S. by making it more affordable, effective and sustainable,” Jordan Sessler says.

Photo courtesy of Supra Elemental Recovery Inc.

The company’sproprietary process uses element-specific polymer cartridges that can be placed in a system to recover different elements, Jordan Sessler says. “Each cartridge is basically a high-flow, high-performance sponge that can be tuned to soak up a specific metal when liquid is passed through it. To do this, supramolecular receptors to bind target ionsare embedded within nanoporous polymers that increase binding. Those polymers are 3D printed into cartridges with cutting-edge geometries to increase flow and promote durability. The end result is a low-cost, sturdy and reusable plastic cartridge that has shown the potential to significantly outperform legacy solutions (up to 100-times selectivity and flow) at a fraction of the cost.”

He says an advantage of Supra’s platform is that multiple cartridges can be placed in sequence to select for different elements. “As our platform expands, this could unlock profitable recovery from extremely diverse feedstock sources by recovering an array of elements with applications across semiconductors, magnets and batteries.    

“The inventors of the technology realized they could combine their novel advancements across their fields to create a proprietary critical minerals recovery platform that eliminates the need for harsh acids or toxic solvents,” Jordan Sessler adds.

He says the inventors of Supra’s technology are professors working across chemistry, materials andfluid dynamics and include Jonathan L. Sessler, Ph.D., Jordan’s father. They looked at existing technologies, examining what works, what doesn't work and how to solve those issues. “That's not always how academia works, and so that's one of the reasons why Katie and I were so excited to get involved with this technology. And we think there's so many wonderful applications for it in the real world.”

“He's a longtime professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and he's been a receptor chemist for a really long time,” Jordan Sessler says of his father. “He's used his receptors and similar receptors in cancer research and treatment historically.”

Jonathan Sessler joined with two younger colleagues, Zak Page, Ph.D., who works in polymer chemistry and 3D printing, and Michael Cullinan, Ph.D., who brings expertise in semiconductors and fluid dynamics to develop the technology Supra is working to commercialize.

“It’s a combination of breakthrough advances in each of those fields all rolled into one platform, and then the platform can be printed in different sizes and shapes and really pretty easily integrated into existing flow sheets and recovery sheets that are already used in the real world,” he says, “which is one of the reasons why we think we can get this to market relatively quickly.”

Jordan Sessler says he went to Durham, a partner at San Francisco-based Climate Capital, for her opinion on the technology. She liked it so much, the two co-founded the company. 

The technology originally was validated on cobalt and lithium, and Supra now is targeting elements such as Ga and Sc and is validating it for other elements, including lanthanides.

“Every year, billions of dollars worth of critical minerals are trapped in domestic waste streams, from industrial byproducts and mine tailings to electronic waste," Durham says. “By profitably recovering these elements, we can secure the inputs needed for America’s advanced manufacturing future.”

“While rare earths aren’t rare, they’re notoriously difficult and expensive to refine at high purity,” Jordan Sessler says. “We’re making this easier and more affordable by applying advances in supramolecular chemistry, materials science and fluid dynamics to build a versatile platform technology. By refining multiple elements from multiple sources, we believe we can deliver much-needed supply chain resilience.”  

Supra operates out of sponsored labs at UT Austin currently and is looking to establish a centralized pilot facility this year, Jordan Sessler says.The company expects to have its first commercial pilot system operating within 2026.                          

Durham says such a facility will allow Supra to test various feedstocks in one place with its technology. Supra plans to create systems it can roll out using multiple potential business models, including licensing the technology to feedstock processors, toll refining and developing its own vertically integrated refineries. 

“At this stage, Supra is interested in partnering with industrial waste producers, metal refiners, mines and other potential feedstock sources to explore recovery from different streams and identify commercial pilots,” Jordan Sessler says. “We think Supra can play a critical role in helping these partners recover value, and we have seen some of our best results pulling critical minerals apart from each other at extremely low concentrations.”

The company plans to optimize its technology ahead of commercial pilots. “We aim to produce and validate semiconductor- or defense-grade Sc and Ga by end of year,” Jordan Sessler adds.

“Supra exemplifies how world-class university research can be translated into commercially scalable solutions that advance US industrial leadership,” says Mark Arnold, associate vice president, Discovery to Impact, and managing director of Longhorn Ventures, at The University of Texas at Austin. “This work underscores UT Austin’s commitment to move groundbreaking discoveries into the market to have lasting impact on the world.”

In conjunction with its launch, Supra announced the close of an oversubscribed $2 million preseed round, led by Crucible Capital, with participation from the UT Seed Fund, Climate Capital, Portmanteau Ventures and Pew Protection Trust. The funding will support continued technology development and preparation for commercial pilots, expected in 2026.

“The key to restoring America’s rare earth leadership is building refining capacity, the bottleneck standing between domestic raw resources and secure supply,” says Meltem Demirors, founder and general partner at Crucible Capital, New York City. “Supra is building this exact capability with a proprietary new approach. We’re proud to back a team that is positioned to reshape how critical materials are produced in the United States.”

Companies interested in supplying feedstock, purchasing critical minerals, or exploring partnerships can learn more at www.getsupra.com.