Innovation can disrupt the mining industry. These sustainable start-ups are leading the way

If you’re reading this on a phone or computer, you probably rely more on mining and metals than you realise. Throughout our history, the mining sector has played a crucial role in enabling technological advancements and human development. From the Stone and Iron Ages to the different industrial revolutions, minerals have been used in different forms to propel change and for the realisation of countless economic activities. Consistently, mining has proven to be indispensable for human progress and its transformation has always extended beyond its own, touching on a myriad of industries that are essential to everyday life.

The increasing population and the reliance on technology, such as electric vehicles, energy systems and advanced electronics, has raised the demand for minerals and metals like lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, and copper. This transition necessitates an even greater reliance on these minerals compared to conventional methods. For instance, an electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car.

To tackle this challenge, the industry will need innovative approaches and further investment. To this end, the collaboration between Prospect Innovation, UpLink and the Mining and Metals Industry Community of the World Economic Forum seeks to play a key role in supporting entrepreneurs by enabling an ecosystem where they have access to funding opportunities, exposure and credibility, and access to key decision-makers.

To unearth innovative disruptive technologies applicable for the mining and metals sector, the World Economic Forum's UpLink platform recently ran the Sustainable Mining Challenge, from which 13 start-ups from a pool of 151 high-quality applicants have now been announced. This group of innovators mark the first-ever Sustainable Mining cohort of winners selected through the Sustainable Mining Initiative, a 3-year partnership between Prospect Innovation and UpLink to scale innovative and disruptive technologies around the world.

Innovative exploration technologies

In the mining industry, breakthrough exploration technologies are essential for accurately identifying deep and complex mineral deposits. These innovations increase the availability of critical metals and minerals from previously untapped sources, enhancing exploration efficiency and reducing uncertainty in geological modeling. By advancing the speed and reliability of resource discovery, these technologies support a more sustainable and effective approach to meeting the growing global demand for minerals

The Datarock platform was developed to address the common challenges associated with the manual logging of core samples obtained during exploration. By leveraging machine learning, specifically computer vision, Datarock's analyses drill core imagery enables mining companies to enhance and automate core logging processes. This technology delivers geological and geotechnical insights with unprecedented scale, speed, and transparency compared to conventional methods.

Sustainable and decarbonized extraction of minerals and metals

Innovative extraction, separation, and transportation technologies are transforming mineral and metal recovery, making it more energy-efficient, safe, and optimized. By focusing on less invasive methods for processing complex ore deposits, these advancements reduce impacts on land, water, and biodiversity. This shift towards sustainable extraction supports the mining industry's goal to minimize environmental footprints while meeting global mineral demands responsibly.

SharpPulse’s innovation is a developing a new high-voltage pulse plasma technology, that boosts metal recovery from ores and tailings, while cutting energy requirements for crushing and grinding. This technology is especially useful for minerals that typically require intensive thermal and chemical separation processes.

Tidal Metals uses advanced desalination techniques to extract magnesium from seawater, powered entirely by renewable energy. This 'clean and green' process concentrates and extracts magnesium salt using proprietary technology and proven physical methods, without adding anything to the water or generating any waste. Tidal Metals is developing a fully sustainable magnesium production process—no carbon emissions, no mining, no evaporation ponds, and zero waste.

Ekion is pioneering a new mining technology called Electrokinetic In Situ Recovery (EK-ISR). This fully electric process extracts metals from ore deposits without digging or fracking. It creates no mining waste, doesn’t need aquifers to be drained, and doesn’t produce harmful dust. The company has successfully demonstrated this technology at the laboratory scale, recovering key elements essential for the green transition, such as copper, gold, silver, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements. Ekion technology is entirely electric and highly suitable to work with intermittent energy sources such as solar PV or wind turbines. It also seamlessly integrates with any hydrometallurgical extraction plant already in operation.

Endolith employs advanced biology techniques to extract critical minerals from low grades ores like chalcopyrite and clays. Their 'plug-and-play' approach can be easily integrated into existing mining operations without major changes. Traditional mining methods are energy-intensive and often leave valuable resources behind. By using specially adapted microorganisms that work well in specific geological conditions, Endolith can extract metals from ores that were previously considered too low-quality to be worth mining. This approach extends the life of current mines and reduces the need to dig new ones.

Destiny Copper has developed an innovative, low-cost, modular, cleantech hydro-metallurgical copper extraction system. A proprietary, environmentally friendly additive is introduced into the solution, enabling the rapid recovery of high-purity copper with the use of recycled iron. The process is scalable, with low capital and operating expenses, as well as low energy consumption, as demonstrated by the pilot plant operation in Ontario. The resulting copper powder is uniform in size and has a high purity of 99.9% comparable to that achieved by traditional electrowinning technology but with significantly lower energy consumption.

Tersa Earth Innovations’ TersaClean's self-powered, modular, and flow-based design enables streamlined operations, reducing the need for manual intervention and supervision. With automated control strategies for each equipment component, the system is designed to operate efficiently with minimal human oversight, reducing labour requirements in conventional treatment operations. The self-powered nature of the system ensures continuous operation without reliance on external power sources, further enhancing its efficiency and reliability.

Eden GeoPower's unique approach is well-suited to enhancing subsurface permeability across multiple industries, including geothermal, mining, carbon storage, and geologic hydrogen. Eden GeoPower has developed a first-of-its-kind Electrical Reservoir Stimulation (ERS) technology designed to increase the recovery of natural resources and improve the economics of resource extraction with minimal environmental impact. This patented ERS technology uses electricity to enhance permeability, boosting recovery rates for both new and existing assets. Additionally, Eden GeoPower’s technology reduces water consumption, curbs carbon emissions, and mitigates the seismic risks associated with traditional hydraulic fracturing, making resource recovery fundamentally more sustainable.

Energy efficient processing and refining

In the mining and metals industry, energy-efficient processing and refining technologies play a crucial role in enhancing the recovery of metals, even from complex ores and low-grade deposits. These innovative approaches improve metal recovery rates, reduce environmental impacts, and lower both energy and water consumption. By enabling the economic extraction of all valuable metals within the ore, these technologies are paving the way for a more sustainable and resource-efficient future in mining and metallurgy.

Still Bright iis addressing the challenge of increasing global demand for copper while minimizing the environmental impact of production. Their cutting-edge technology uses vanadium to extract copper from concentrated ore at an unprecedented speed and efficiency, without the need for high temperatures, pressure, or fossil fuels. The Still Bright process also avoids the toxic pollutants that make smelting highly regulated in most countries. With this technology, Still Bright will replace copper smelting to onshore, electrify, and expand copper production.

Rock Zero Inc. is developing a new way to extract battery-grade lithium salts from lithium hard rock without needing high-temperature roasting. Their closed-loop, low-temperature process recycles all materials, including water and reagents, to make lithium extraction more energy-efficient and produce fewer CO2 emissions and waste compared to conventional processes. This method not only cuts energy use but also reduces the cost of producing battery-grade lithium salts from hard rock by about 50%.

Genomines is a biotechnology company specializing in sustainable metal extraction through plant-based methods. The company employs synthetic biology to enhance hyperaccumulator plants—species capable of absorbing high levels of metals from soil—to efficiently extract metals like nickel. This approach not only facilitates metal recovery but also contributes to land remediation by decontaminating soils.

The Helios Cycle is a new iron ore reduction technology that uses sodium instead of carbon to produce green iron powder for briquetting, compatible with both EAF and BOF. This process emits only oxygen and gangue byproducts, achieving zero direct CO2 emissions. It operates in a closed-loop system where sodium is reused: first, sodium reduces the iron ore, then sodium oxide breaks down to release metallic sodium and oxygen, allowing sodium to be recycled.

Kofiln's new processing system is a breakthrough in copper concentrate processing, using a 'polymetallic circular economy' approach. Unlike traditional smelting, it operates in closed solid-gas reactors without molten phases, which nearly eliminates SO2 emissions and captures impurities like arsenic. This system is highly energy-efficient, thanks to its exothermic process, and uses much less electricity. By using green hydrogen as a reducing agent, it replaces fossil fuels, resulting in very low carbon emissions and surplus clean energy that can support other processes or be fed into the grid, potentially earning carbon offsets.

Valorization of mine residues

Innovative technologies are revolutionizing the valorization of mining residues—such as tailings, slags, waste rock, fly ashes, and even discarded truck tires—moving the industry closer to a near-zero-waste future. By recovering valuable metals from these materials and repurposing non-valuable components for applications like backfilling and construction, these technologies enhance both the safety and environmental performance of mining operations. This approach reduces waste, converts potential liabilities into resources, and aligns with a circular economy model.

Many of the technologies described above are designed to revalorize residues from their processes, utilizing closed-loop systems to prevent waste production and enhance resource efficiency.

Learn more about the first Sustainable Mining cohort and how UpLink is helping scale innovative and disruptive technologies in the mining and metals industry here.