Lixivia

Founded in 2012, Lixivia operates from Santa Barbara, California, with a clear mission: to develop and license sustainable technologies that transform low-grade minerals and industrial waste into high-value products. The company targets the metals and minerals sector, addressing the growing difficulty and cost of sourcing high-quality materials by focusing on the vast quantities of industrial waste and low-grade ores already available. Lixivia's business model centers on licensing its proprietary platform technology to industrial partners, enabling them to solve critical problems in their operations, such as extracting copper from tailings or utilizing carbon dioxide to enhance waste minerals.

Lixivia's core offering is a chemical extraction and purification process designed for cost-effectiveness and scalability. This technology applies proprietary processes and bio-derived chemicals to refine large mineral mixtures. The company's platform is versatile, capable of handling materials like low-grade lime, steel and iron slag, rare earth metals, and lithium. By carefully selecting the chemistry and process conditions, Lixivia allows its clients to capture more value from these previously underutilized materials. One specific application is a hydrometallurgical process for leaching copper from various sources, including sulfide species, concentrates (even those containing arsenic), tailings, and smelting dust. The company holds several patents for its methods, which include using weak acid lixiviants for selective metal recovery and valorizing steel industry waste streams.

The company was founded with a dedication to sustainably reclaiming vital resources from industrial byproducts and low-grade sources. After years of developing its intellectual property and engaging with industry partners to identify key challenges, Lixivia is now positioned to launch projects that offer significant advantages to its licensees. The company has secured $3.5 million in funding to advance its objectives. A strategic partnership with Order Cs provides end-to-end procurement expertise, aiming to accelerate the real-world application of Lixivia's sustainable solutions.

Keywords: mineral processing, industrial waste recycling, hydrometallurgy, sustainable mining, cleantech, resource recovery, metal extraction, circular economy, steel slag valorization, copper tailings, rare earth metal recovery, lithium extraction, chemical leaching, bio-derived chemicals, environmental technology, mining technology, waste to value, sustainable chemistry, mineral purification, low-grade ore processing