Biotech Mineral Recovery Chemicals

Giraffe Bio raised a $6.4 million seed round led by Orion Industrial Ventures, with BHP Ventures participating, to develop mineral-specific chemicals that help mines recover up to 5% more copper. Most operators would welcome a gain of 1% to 2%, and the company engineers each compound to match a mine's mineral content.

Rather than adding bacteria to ore, the startup grows engineered microbes in a bioreactor to produce compounds that bind to copper and are used in a mine's existing flotation process. The same molecules can replace harsher flotation chemicals, and the platform can be tuned for gold and silver.

As electrification and data centers drive up copper demand, Giraffe Bio shows how mine-specific chemistry could stretch output from existing operations without waiting on new mine development.