SuperCritical Materials Licenses US Department of Energy Patented Uranium and Critical Materials Extraction Technology

DOE-developed process positions SuperCritical to help address America's emerging nuclear fuel supply bottleneck as advanced reactor deployments accelerate.

The world's oceans contain approximately 4.5 billion metric tons of uranium, enough to support global nuclear energy production for centuries.

Supports U.S. efforts to strengthen domestic uranium supply, nuclear fuel security, and critical materials production.

AUSTIN, Texas, July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SuperCritical Materials Corp. ("SuperCritical"), an Austin-based developer of nuclear fuel and critical materials infrastructure, today announced that it has secured an exclusive license from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to commercialize a patented uranium and critical materials adsorbent manufacturing process developed by DOE laboratories and research partners.

The technology, which was supported by the DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy and led by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), has demonstrated the feasibility to extract uranium from seawater. SuperCritical has been granted exclusive rights to the manufacturing process and to deploy the technology at industrial scale in the United States initially and subsequently in allied nations seeking to strengthen domestic nuclear fuel security.

Ted Garrish, Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy, commented:

"Uranium extraction from seawater has been demonstrated at lab scale. DOE has invested in proving that this extraction process works. We are pleased to see this technology moving toward commercial deployment. As the United States accelerates advanced nuclear energy deployment, ensuring reliable domestic sources of nuclear fuel becomes increasingly important. This technology represents a potentially significant contribution to America's long-term fuel security and industrial competitiveness."

The timing of this commercialization effort coincides with a significant shift in U.S. energy policy. Following the successful demonstration that advanced reactors can be brought to criticality under accelerated federal deployment programs, policymakers are shifting their focus. The next major challenge is securing sufficient privately-funded fuel-cycle capacity to support long-term nuclear growth. As reactor deployment accelerates, pressure shifts upstream to uranium supply, conversion, enrichment, High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) production, fuel fabrication, and other essential fuel-cycle infrastructure.

SuperCritical was founded to address these constraints.

The world's oceans contain approximately 4.5 billion metric tons of uranium—more than 1,000 times of the identified terrestrial reserves. SuperCritical believes that advances in selective adsorption chemistry, materials science, and industrial deployment can unlock a portion of this resource while also recovering other strategically important materials from seawater.

SuperCritical describes its mission as becoming the Fuel Layer of the Intelligence Economy. While reactor developers build the systems that generate electricity, SuperCritical seeks to provide the uranium and critical materials infrastructure needed to fuel those systems at scale. The company believes this upstream supply-chain role represents one of the most important opportunities in the emerging nuclear economy.

The emergence of the Intelligence Economy is creating unprecedented demand for reliable energy and industrial materials. The Intelligence Economy refers to the next phase of economic growth driven by artificial intelligence, advanced computing, robotics, autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing, defense technologies, and digital infrastructure. Just as the Industrial Economy was built on coal and steel, and the Information Economy was built on semiconductors and telecommunications infrastructure, the Intelligence Economy will be built on abundant, reliable energy.

The commercialization of this technology aligns directly with several federal initiatives designed to strengthen American industrial competitiveness and resource security, including:

• Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production
• Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources
• Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base

Industrial deployment of this technology has the potential to create high-quality American manufacturing, engineering, marine operations, and construction jobs while strengthening domestic nuclear fuel supply chains and supporting U.S. allies seeking secure sources of uranium and critical materials.

The SuperCritical technical team includes former PNNL scientists and management, including Dr. Gary Gill, former Deputy Director of PNNL's Marine Sciences Division. Dr. Gill is a co-founder of SuperCritical and one of the world's leading experts in uranium extraction from seawater, having authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on the subject over the past two decades.

SuperCritical believes that securing fuel supply and critical material availability is essential to enabling the next phase of growth in the U.S.

"Our objective is straightforward," said Alexander Canon Bryan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SuperCritical Materials. "If the Intelligence Economy requires abundant, reliable nuclear energy, then it will also require abundant, reliable nuclear fuel. SuperCritical is building the infrastructure needed to help supply that fuel. We are proud to advance technology developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and contribute to strengthening America's energy security, industrial competitiveness, and technological leadership."

About SuperCritical Materials

SuperCritical Materials is developing industrial-scale nuclear fuel production infrastructure utilizing advanced seawater uranium extraction technology originally developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Company is focused on expanding future fuel availability for the growing global nuclear energy sector and enabling the energy infrastructure required to support the Intelligence Economy. To learn more, please visit: www.supercritical.one

Media Contact

Grant Draper
media@supercritical.one
www.supercritical.one

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