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SuperCritical secures DOE licence to extract uranium from seawater
The Austin-based company got exclusive US rights to commercialize a patented adsorbent process, aiming to ease a potential domestic nuclear fuel supply bottleneck as demand grows for uranium and related fuel-cycle inputs.
SuperCritical Materials has secured an exclusive US Department of Energy licence to commercialize patented technology intended to extract uranium from seawater, positioning the company as a potential supplier of nuclear fuel infrastructure as advanced reactor deployment accelerates, Mining.com reports.
The licence covers a patented adsorbent manufacturing process developed through the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy and led by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. SuperCritical said it has exclusive rights to manufacture and deploy the technology in the US before expanding to allied countries.
SuperCritical said the oceans contain about 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium, far exceeding identified land-based reserves, and argued this could serve as a long-term fuel source. The company also said it plans to recover other strategic minerals from seawater while supporting federal efforts to strengthen domestic critical mineral production and nuclear fuel security.
The licence comes as the US shifts from demonstrating advanced reactors to building the fuel-cycle infrastructure needed to support wider deployment. SuperCritical said growing demand for uranium, conversion, enrichment, HALEU, and fuel fabrication could create a supply bottleneck, with DOE officials calling the technology a potential contribution to US fuel security and industrial competitiveness.