How a New Jersey startup found an electrifying way to slash copper costs

In response to an unprecedented surge in copper demand, a New Jersey startup founded in 2022, Still Bright, is pioneering a groundbreaking approach to reduce production costs associated with this essential metal. As the global market pivots away from fossil fuels, experts predict that the world will require double the amount of copper than has ever been mined, making efficient extraction methods increasingly vital. Co-founder and CEO Randy Allen highlighted the challenges facing copper mining, stating, "With the easily accessible copper already extracted, the industry needs to establish over 60 new mines annually to meet rising demands, a feat that seems nearly impossible." Still Bright believes a significant portion of this demand can be satisfied by enhancing copper recovery from existing ore. The startup has engineered a novel extraction method capable of recovering nearly all copper from standard ores, bypassing pre-processing steps that typically result in a 20% loss of the metal. This technology even has the potential to extract copper from tailings—waste materials left behind by traditional mining practices. Allen emphasized the effectiveness of their method, saying, "Any copper that was lost as waste, we can actually process that and get the copper back." To accelerate production from modest beginnings to hundreds of tons per year, Still Bright has successfully secured an $18.7 million seed funding round, led by Material Impact and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with participation from Apollo Ventures, Fortescue, Impact Science Ventures, and SOSV. What sets Still Bright apart is its commitment to environmentally friendly extraction. Instead of conventional methods that often emit harmful pollutants, the company utilizes a vanadium-based solution to extract copper from ores. Once the solution is depleted, it is rejuvenated using electricity—an innovative approach inspired by vanadium flow batteries used for long-duration energy storage. The company’s CTO, Jon Vardner, discovered the synergy between vanadium flow battery technology and copper extraction, enabling the startup to develop its efficient modular system that can be adapted to various mining operations. Allen noted that their equipment’s rapid processing time—ranging from minutes to one hour—allows for significantly smaller machinery compared to traditional refineries, resulting in substantial cost savings of up to 90%. Currently, the operational costs of Still Bright’s process are on par with standard refineries, but Allen is optimistic about future reductions. "There’s a lot of opportunity for us to be cheaper," he remarked. Looking ahead, Still Bright plans to construct a demonstration unit by 2027 or 2028 capable of producing 500 tons of copper annually. This marks a substantial advancement from their current pilot unit, which produces just two tons per year. Ultimately, the company envisions scaling up production to 10,000 tons annually. As the urgency for sustainable copper production grows, Still Bright aims to refine copper in sufficient quantities to take advantage of potential tariffs on imports, which could help finance the development and deployment of their commercial-scale operations. Allen concluded, "We see ourselves as having a path to be among the cheapest copper producers."