Charged EVs | UT Austin spinout Supra aims to recover gallium, scandium and other critical minerals from waste streams

Supra Elemental Recovery, a spinout from the University of Texas at Austin, has launched with a $2 million pre-seed round to develop technology for recovering critical minerals—including gallium and scandium—from domestic waste streams such as industrial byproducts, mine tailings and electronic waste.

The US is currently 100% import-dependent for both gallium and scandium, elements essential to semiconductors, aerospace and defense applications. Gallium in particular is a key feedstock for the GaN power devices increasingly used in EV onboard chargers and power conversion systems.

Supra’s approach uses proprietary reusable cartridges through which dissolved industrial waste is pumped. The cartridges selectively capture and release target minerals in sequence. The company claims up to 100x greater selectivity and speed compared to incumbent refining methods, enabling higher purity at lower cost without the toxic processes used in conventional refining.

“Every year, billions of dollars worth of critical minerals are trapped in domestic waste streams,” said CEO Katie Ullmann Durham. “By profitably recovering these elements, we can secure the inputs needed for America’s advanced manufacturing future.”

The technology is also being validated for cobalt, lithium and lanthanides used in batteries and magnets. Commercial pilots are expected later in 2026. The pre-seed round was led by Crucible Capital, with participation from the UT Seed Fund, Climate Capital, Portmanteau Ventures and Pew Protection Trust.

Source: Supra