Fluxnium Develops Seawater Uranium Extraction Technology to Address Fuel Shortages
Clean tech startup Fluxnium has developed technology that can extract uranium from seawater, potentially addressing the U.S. nuclear industry's growing fuel shortage concerns. The company claims its method could be competitive with traditional uranium mining and is based on polymer fibers licensed from Department of Energy national labs. With oceanic uranium reserves estimated at 4 billion metric tons—enough for about 50,000 years—the technology aims to reduce reliance on geopolitically unstable regions that currently supply most global uranium. Fluxnium recently raised $7 million in a seed round led by Congruent Ventures and supported by Active Impact Investments and Constellation Energy. The startup is emerging as the nuclear industry experiences renewed interest, driven partly by tech companies seeking reliable energy for AI data centers. CEO Jeff Green has previously founded successful ventures like Stamps.com and 1PointFive. The process involves deploying braided polymer fibers in seawater to capture uranium over several weeks before extracting it into yellowcake form without toxic waste. While the initial cost of extraction was higher than current mining prices, Fluxnium claims improvements have significantly reduced costs by increasing fiber surface area.
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Topics: clean tech startup nuclear power U.S. energy policy uranium extraction from seawater