Clean tech startup Fluxnium has announced a new technology designed to extract uranium directly from seawater. The company states this approach could provide a competitive alternative to traditional uranium mining.
The ocean is estimated to hold over 4 billion metric tons of uranium, which Fluxnium founder and CEO Jeff Green described as "a thousand times more than all identified hard rock mines combined." This quantity could supply nuclear fuel for approximately 50,000 years.
Fluxnium's method involves using specially designed polymer fibers that attract uranium dissolved in seawater. These braided fibers are deployed at sea, similar to seaweed farming, for 30 to 60 days before being brought ashore for uranium extraction. The process reportedly leaves no toxic tailings, and the fibers can be reused multiple times.
The company licensed the core chemistry from U.S. Department of Energy national labs and has focused on refining the production and configuration of the fibers to reduce costs. Fluxnium recently closed a $7 million seed funding round, led by Congruent Ventures, with participation from Active Impact Investments and Constellation Energy.