“Thar’s gold in them thar seas!”

Mining companies have known for decades that seawater contains tiny concentrations of gold and uranium, but it’s never been commercially feasible to extract them at scale.

But what about critical minerals and rare earth elements? They’re far more valuable than gold, and harder to find. They’re found in the oceans too.

Now scientist have developed a way to harvest these elusive elements from seawater, using a combination of bioengineered microbial membranes and nanotech-inspired catalysts. And because the whole process is powered by solar and wave energy, it’s eco-friendly too.

But the best part, what really makes it amazing, is that the only by-product is clean, drinkable water. By removing all the salts, heavy metals, and potentially toxic minerals from the water, the ‘effluent’ is perfect for agriculture or human consumption. There’s no slurry or brine, and nothing gets dumped back in the ocean.

Which makes this a game-changing innovation. Instead of mining scarce resources in far-flung locations, critical minerals like lithium can be produced wherever there’s access to the sea; and that’s worldwide.

At the same time, these extraction plants are being built where fresh water is in short supply, solving multiple resource, economic, and environmental problems at once.

Delivering sustainable abundance. On tap.