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Duranium

Active

Reshoring critical metal production

S25·Summer 2025·Industrials·San Francisco, CA, USA·Team of 10·Founded 2025

About

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.

Founders

  • Brenden Prins-McKinney· Founder/CEO

    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.

  • Berkley Noble· Founder/CTO

    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.

Product launches · 1 launch

Change history · none recorded

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