AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SuperCritical Materials Corp. ("SuperCritical Materials" or "SUPC"), developer of industrial-scale uranium production infrastructure from seawater, today announced the completion of an independent assessment conducted by global science, technology and engineering leader, Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR).
The review evaluated SUPC's uranium extraction platform, deployment architecture, offshore operating concepts, uranium recovery flowsheet, commercialization pathway, and key engineering requirements necessary for future large-scale deployment.
The assessment reviewed SUPC's conceptual production scenario utilizing approximately 10,000 tonnes of adsorbent operating in continuous 21-day deployment cycles capable of supplying a 1.85 million-pound-U3O8-per-year uranium processing facility.
The assessment concluded that SUPC's Deployment and Retrieval System (DRS) offers a potential pathway toward large-scale deployment due to its modular design, scalability, compatibility with existing offshore infrastructure, and ability to support continuous production operations.
“The study demonstrates that a credible engineering pathway exists from laboratory-scale innovation to industrial-scale fuel production infrastructure. This has never been demonstrated before,” said Alexander Canon Bryan, President and Chief Executive Officer of SuperCritical Materials
The assessment examined multiple offshore deployment concepts, including platform-based systems, vessel-based systems, and subsea field deployments. The assessment analyzed various approaches to help improve confidence in achieving the seawater exposure volumes required for commercial uranium recovery while maintaining operational flexibility and scalability.
In addition to deployment architecture, the assessment reviewed SUPC's uranium recovery process, which utilizes conventional uranium industry unit operations including elution, reverse osmosis concentration, precipitation, and yellowcake production. The report identified multiple opportunities to simplify processing, reduce capital intensity, lower operating costs, and improve overall project economics through application of established uranium industry best practices.
Establishing the Engineering Foundation for Commercial Development
The review represents the first phase of a broader engineering and commercialization program designed to advance SUPC's uranium-from-seawater platform toward commercial deployment.
Under the Company's development plan, future operational cost modeling across multiple deployment configurations, followed by capital cost estimation and future economic assessments will be performed.
Additional development activities include:
- University of Michigan-led adsorbent mechanical characterization and deployment embodiment testing
- Adsorbent manufacturing scale-up initiatives
- Adsorbent performance improvements
- Optimization of uranium recovery and processing flowsheets
- Regulatory and permitting advancement
The combined program is intended to establish the technical, operational, and economic foundation required for future commercial facilities.
New Fuel Infrastructure for the next Century of Nuclear Energy
As demand for reliable, base-load electricity accelerates, long-term growth in nuclear generation will require corresponding growth in fuel production infrastructure.
SUPC is developing a platform designed to access approximately 4.5 billion metric tons of uranium dissolved in the world's oceans through modular offshore production systems.
“The work helps define a credible engineering pathway toward unlocking one of the world's largest untapped uranium resources," Mr. Bryan said. “The next phase is focused on demonstrating operating performance, defining project economics, and advancing toward commercial deployment."
About SuperCritical Materials
SuperCritical Materials develops and operates industrial-scale infrastructure to produce nuclear fuel and critical materials. The Company’s fuel infrastructure platform is designed to supply the fuel layer required for large-scale nuclear energy deployment, advanced manufacturing, and the emerging intelligence economy while reducing reliance on foreign sources and enabling energy security at industrial scale.
Media Contact
Grant Draper
media@supercritical.one
www.supercritical.one
