Alta Resource Technologies has built an engineered‑protein platform that selectively binds and separates critical minerals, including rare earth elements, from low‑grade ores, tailings, waste streams and end‑of‑life products. The company’s approach, developed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Pennsylvania State University researchers, aims to deliver higher precision and lower environmental impact than conventional separation methods. Alta plans to use new capital to expand its technical team, advance commercial pilots, and extend the platform to additional metal targets and feedstocks. The technology targets domestic supply‑chain resilience for materials used in electronics, clean energy, and defense. Alta has also received grant support from federal partners and the State of Colorado to complement private investment. The company is based in Boulder, Colo. Alta Resource has developed a biology-based process that uses specially designed proteins attached to a resin to selectively capture rare earth elements from solutions derived from electronic waste or virgin ore. The proteins are loaded into columns through which solutions percolate; the proteins bind the metals and the column is later flushed to release them, and Alta says the proteins have proven durable. The company argues biology offers selectivity advantages over traditional multi-step chemical refining, which relies on toxic chemicals. Alta plans to build a pilot-scale plant this year about the size of a shipping container and aims to refine and scale the technology. Management has said it has reasonable conviction the federal government will help fund part of the pilot, and the company highlights a near-term market in meeting U.S. defense single-digit-thousands-of-tons needs. Financially, Alta raised a $5.1M seed round and has secured about $1M in grant funding from DARPA and the state of Colorado.

Total raised

$11M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

May 2025