Texas startup awarded DoD contract for scandium recovery
The contract, Supra said, will bolster its recovery of rare earth elements from North American industrial byproducts.
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Logistics Agency has awarded Texas startup Supra Elemental Recovery with a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to enhance the recovery of scandium. The precise amount of the contract was not disclosed. The award aims to bolster Supra's capability to recover rare earth elements from North American industrial byproducts.
Supra, a spin-off of the University of Texas at Austin, utilizes advanced chemical separation technology to selectively recover critical minerals from mining and industrial sites. The Phase I SBIR contract will enable Supra to evaluate the viability of applying its separation platform to relevant feedstocks, with a view to potential scalability.
Scandium, a crucial mineral for advanced aerospace, energy, and commercial technologies, is currently not commercially mined or produced in the United States. All of the country's scandium needs are currently met through imports from foreign markets. Supra's CEO, Katie Durham, pointed out in a news release that the U.S. possesses onshore scandium resources.
Supra's technology, she stated, is designed to recover scandium at high purity and scale to meet domestic demand.
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