Fluxnium cracks seawater uranium extraction — SkimNews
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- Fluxnium developed a seawater uranium extraction technology using polymer fibers licensed from the U.S. Department of Energy, aiming to compete with traditional mining costs
- Fluxnium raised $7 million in seed funding led by Congruent Ventures, with participation from Active Impact Investments and Constellation Energy
- Jeff Green, CEO of Fluxnium, stated the company increased fiber surface area to reduce extraction costs from over $200 per pound to a competitive level with land-based mines
- Ocean water contains over 4 billion metric tons of uranium—enough for approximately 50,000 years of supply, according to Fluxnium’s estimates
- Uranium prices have risen 75% in five years, and two-thirds to three-quarters of global supply comes from countries like Kazakhstan, Russia, and Niger, creating geopolitical risk
- Fluxnium’s fibers are deployed at sea for 30 to 60 days before being retrieved, processed into yellowcake, and sold into the existing nuclear fuel supply chain without toxic tailings
Why it matters: The U.S. aims to triple nuclear capacity by 2050 but faces rising uranium prices and reliance on unstable foreign suppliers. Fluxnium’s seawater extraction could secure domestic fuel access at scale if it achieves cost parity with mines, altering long-term energy security calculations for plant operators and policymakers.
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