The technology developed by Alta employs custom-designed proteins to separate high-purity rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical minerals. Credit: Alf Manciagli/Shutterstock.

Alta Resource Technologies, a specialist in advanced biochemistry in mineral separation, has garnered $5.1m in an oversubscribed seed funding round.

The round was co-led by DCVC and Voyager Ventures, with additional participation from Orion Industrial Ventures, Overture and WovenEarth Ventures.

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The funding will support the company’s innovative approach to mineral separation.

DCVC general partner James Hardiman said: “What fracking did for oil and gas technologically, Alta is poised to do for critical minerals, and the geopolitical and economic implications could be just as profound.

“It exemplifies our thesis that the deepest science and engineering can solve the hardest global problems and create immense commercial value at the same time. The market is clamouring for solutions, and Alta has assembled an unsurpassed team at the perfect moment to seize a generational opportunity.”

Alta’s advanced biochemistry platform, which utilises technology licensed from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and developed in collaboration with researchers at Pennsylvania State University, represents a significant advancement over existing methods.

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The Series Seed financing will allow the company to expand its technical team, further develop and de-risk its platform in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore and deploy it across a growing range of metal targets, ore types and waste streams.

Alta Co-Founder and CEO Nathan Ratledge said: “Our technology leverages specially engineered proteins that can bind to specific metals with unprecedented selectivity, even at low concentrations in complex mixtures.

“By deploying these proteins in a continuous, scalable process, we can unlock vast untapped mineral resources here at home, strengthening our supply chains and national security while setting a new standard for environmentally responsible mining.”

The technology developed by Alta employs custom-designed proteins that function like microscopic robots.

These proteins are designed to separate high-purity REEs and other critical minerals with unprecedented selectivity and cost-effectiveness.

The ability to tailor proteins to selectively bind to individual elements greatly enhances the potential for mineral separation and processing.

This advancement is expected to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of mining while improving access to essential raw materials.

In conjunction with the funding announcement, Alta revealed it has secured nearly $1m in grant funding from the federal government, including support from the US Department of Defence’s DARPA and the State of Colorado.

Previous funding was provided by Baruch Future Ventures and Climate Capital, now known as Juniper.