Driven by the AI data center boom and global electrification, the world will need more copper. By 2040, copper supply could fall 25% short of demand.
This will be a daunting task for the mining industry, as the primary way to increase production is by opening new mines—a process that is both expensive and highly dependent on luck. Typically, only 0.3% of potential mines ultimately succeed in coming into production.
A new wave of critical minerals startups has been researching ways to extract more copper from existing mines using biotechnology, primarily focusing on heap leaching—a process that uses microorganisms to help separate minerals from waste. Endolith has cultivated “Olympic-grade” microorganisms, Ceibo is developing its own strains, and Transition Metal Solutions has created prebiotics designed to enhance microbial activity.
Giraffe Bio has taken a different approach. The startup has developed specific chemicals tailored to different minerals, helping mines recover up to 5% more copper. Alejandro Buffo Sempé, co-founder and CEO of Giraffe Bio, told TechCrunch that such an improvement is “very substantial” in mining, as most companies consider a 1% to 2% increase acceptable.
The company said it is able to extract more copper because it can design specialized compounds tailored to the mineral composition of each mine.
To bring this technology from the lab to application, Giraffe Bio recently completed a $6.4 million seed round led by Orion Industrial Ventures, with participation from BHP Ventures, Twynam, Air Capital, and Baruch Future Ventures, exclusively reported by TechCrunch.
Instead of immersing ore in bacteria believed to aid copper extraction, companies can cultivate engineered microbes in bioreactors to produce these custom compounds, which are then added to existing mining processes.
Buffo Sempé said: “We can utilize all biological machinery without having to deal with the complex issue of keeping microorganisms alive in [mining] environments.”
The startup initially focused on copper but noted that its platform can be customized for other minerals. “The beauty of this technology is that we can target copper, as well as gold or silver,” said Buffo Sempé.
The company's compounds are used in the flotation process for mines. In flotation, chemicals help minerals rise or sink in a tank, enabling operators to skim valuable minerals from the top. The more tightly the chemicals bind to the target minerals, the higher the recovery rate. “We’re very good at grabbing only copper,” said Buffo Sempé.
Mines also use chemicals called inhibitors that bind to unwanted compounds such as arsenic and cause them to settle at the bottom, allowing more valuable products to remain on top. The CEO stated that Giraffe Bio is also using the same biotechnology platform to develop inhibitors.
In addition to increasing mine output, Giraffe Bio can replace toxic chemicals used in the flotation process.
Buffo Sempé said: “Instead of dumping chemicals that are typically very harmful to the environment and other areas, we’re replacing their function in the flotation process with a biomolecule. We’re minimizing resistance to maximize output.”