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Reshoring critical metal production
China and Russia control the world’s critical minerals. We can produce Titanium, Magnesium, Aluminum, Zirconium & Hafnium in the U.S. more profitably than any existing process, and carbon neutrally via co-production. Carbochlorination is the primary process for producing critical metals like titanium, hafnium, and zirconium, and was once the standard for magnesium. The problem: conventional carbochlorination relies on purchasing carbon feedstocks, wastes valuable byproducts, and is highly CO₂-intensive. Duranium changes this with a novel reactor that recycles CO₂ emissions back into feedstock (CO) while generating a valuable co-product (bleaching agents). This closed loop slashes emissions and delivers Chinese-level metal pricing without subsidies — unlocking the full potential of carbochlorination for U.S. critical mineral production.
Duranium aims to achieve U.S. metal independence by deploying a novel carbochlorination-based reactor technology that recycles byproducts and co-produces valuable coproducts to reduce emissions and costs for critical metals like titanium, magnesium, zirconium, and hafnium.
Duranium modernizes carbochlorination metallurgy with a reactor that recycles its byproducts into feedstock (CO) and creates coproduct hypochlorite, enabling production of Ti, Mg, Zr, and Hf with improved profitability and lower emissions. The process converts metal oxides to chlorides using chlorine and carbon, then reduces the chlorides to metals, with CO₂ byproducts recycled back into the process when possible to lower emissions and costs, targeting parity with Chinese pricing through co-production mechanics.
Who it’s for: U.S. manufacturers and industries dependent on critical metals (especially titanium, magnesium, zirconium, and hafnium) for aerospace, defense, and high-end manufacturing, along with stakeholders seeking domestic, cleaner, and potentially lower-cost production of these metals.
Hiring/traction signals present (Join Our Team); mentions funding/backing and national security positioning
Co-founder & CEO of Duranium, working to reshore critical metal production. Previously a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in D.C., where I advised the DoD on reshoring critical chemical production. Graduate of Stanford Law School where I was a Knight-Hennessy Scholar.
Co-founder & CTO of Duranium, working to reshore critical metal production. My expertise lies in molten-salt electrolysis. I hold a a patent for an electrochemical metal cell and built the only U.S. pilot magnesium electrolyzer in the last 20+ years.
Reshoring critical light-weight metal production (Ti, Mg, Al, Zr, Hf) — more profitably than any other method through modernized carbochlorination and co-production.
Duranium announces a U.S.-based lightweight metal production process that uses a modernized carbochlorination method to produce titanium, magnesium, aluminum, zirconium, and hafnium with a closed-loop system and CO2 recycling, targeting profitability at or above 50% EBITDA and aiming to supply 12% of U.S. magnesium by 2029.
Supplying America's Industrial Base
We supply hard tech companies with critical components.
