Nanopula

The problem

Valuable metals stay locked in tailings while emissions costs keep climbing.

Mining companies lose millions of dollars every year in valuable metals that remain trapped in tailings, while continuing to spend heavily on waste management and regulatory compliance. At the same time, heavy industries face increasing costs from carbon taxes and emissions regulations. Existing recovery and carbon capture technologies are often expensive, energy-intensive, or uneconomical when dealing with low-concentration waste streams.

Nanopula's approach

Advanced materials that recover value from waste.

Nanopula has developed highly porous nanocellulose aerogels made from renewable biomass. Engineered with specialised surface chemistry, these materials selectively capture carbon dioxide and valuable dissolved metals from industrial waste streams. The captured metals can be recovered for resale, while carbon dioxide is converted into stable mineral products, allowing industries to reduce emissions, recover resources, and lower environmental liabilities through a single modular system.

Where it's used

Built for mining and heavy industry.

Nanopula is initially focused on mining operations across Southern Africa, particularly South Africa and Botswana, where large tailings facilities present significant opportunities for metal recovery. The technology is also being developed for heavy industries such as cement and metals manufacturing, helping industrial operators reduce emissions while improving resource efficiency.

Impact

Why it matters.

Nanopula transforms industrial waste into valuable resources while helping some of Africa's most emissions-intensive industries transition toward cleaner operations.

• Recovering valuable minerals

  Unlocks valuable metals from mining tailings and process water that would otherwise remain unrecovered, creating new revenue streams from industrial waste.

• Reducing industrial emissions

  Captures carbon dioxide from heavy industry and converts it into stable mineral products, helping companies reduce carbon tax exposure and environmental impact.

• Supporting circular industry

  Uses renewable biomass-derived materials to create lower-cost, modular systems that reduce waste, improve resource efficiency, and support more circular industrial processes.

Partners & ecosystem

Preparing for commercial pilots across Southern Africa.

Nanopula is working toward pilot deployments with mining companies and industrial partners across Southern Africa while collaborating with technical experts to validate its technology. Through Kinjani Lab, the venture is strengthening its scientific validation, techno-economic modelling, and industrial readiness as it prepares for commercial pilots.