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Oct. 01, 2026 10:40AM PST
The US currently imports 100 percent of its scandium, a rare earth element essential to advanced aerospace manufacturing, energy technologies, and defense systems.
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Supra Elemental Recovery secured a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract from the US Department of Defense in pursuit of recovering high-purity scandium from domestic industrial byproducts, the company announced.
The contract with the Defense Logistics Agency tasks the Austin-based startup with evaluating the feasibility and scalability of its proprietary separation platform on relevant feedstocks.
“The US has scandium resources onshore,” Supra Co-Founder and CEO Katie Durham said in the announcement. “Our technology is built to recover this scandium at high purity and at scale to meet domestic demand.”
Spun out of the University of Texas at Austin in February 2026, Supra seeks to challenge China's dominance in rare earth refining.
The startup utilizes a chemical separation technique developed through federally supported university research. Instead of traditional refining methods, Supra dissolves industrial waste and pumps it through reusable, sponge-like cartridges.
The company claims these cartridges selectively capture and release target critical minerals in sequence, achieving up to 100 times greater selectivity and speed than incumbent processes while operating without toxic byproducts.
Supra CEO Katie Durham spoke with the Investing News Network podcast in May about the company's unique technology, future growth and importance of recycling critical metals. Listen to the full interview above.
With the contract in place, the US government continues to aggressively attempt to onshore critical mineral supply chains. The technology is initially targeting the recovery of scandium and gallium, though the company is validating the platform for other battery and magnet inputs, including cobalt, lithium, and lanthanides.
“While rare earths aren’t rare, they’re notoriously difficult and expensive to refine at high purity,” Supra Co-Founder and COO Jordan Sessler said during the company's launch earlier this year. “By refining multiple elements from multiple sources, we believe we can deliver much-needed supply chain resilience.”
In May, Supra also secured an investment from global mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO). Concurrently, the startup joined the Defense Industrial Base Consortium, an initiative aimed at strengthening the resilience of the nation’s defense supply chains.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Giann Liguid is a graduate of Ateneo De Manila University with an AB in Interdisciplinary Studies. With a diverse writing background, Giann has written content for the security, food and business industries. He also has expertise in both the public and private sectors, having worked in the government specializing in local government units and administrative dynamics.
When he is not chasing the next market headline, Giann can most likely be found thrift shopping for his dogs.
When he is not chasing the next market headline, Giann can most likely be found thrift shopping for his dogs.
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Giann Liguid is a graduate of Ateneo De Manila University with an AB in Interdisciplinary Studies. With a diverse writing background, Giann has written content for the security, food and business industries. He also has expertise in both the public and private sectors, having worked in the government specializing in local government units and administrative dynamics.
When he is not chasing the next market headline, Giann can most likely be found thrift shopping for his dogs.
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