Boston start-up Allonnia a bio-ingenuity company™ is using the power of microbes to selectively dissolve unwanted gangue while purifying mineral concentrates in a one-of-a-kind pilot project with Eagle Mine

“Our innovative extraction process recovers metals from waste streams, including mine impacted waters. At its core is the Allonnia Biosolution™, a groundbreaking bioextractant that harnesses the power of nature – using protein-functionalized technology to selectively capture and purify rare earth elements from mine-impacted waters and other waste streams. Allonnia helps secure domestic supply of rare earths and create value from previously untapped waste sources.”

-- Nicole Richards, CEO Allonnia

Allonnia has partnered with Eagle Mine to deploy its D-Solve mobile unit at the mine site in Michigan in the fourth quarter of 2025. The aim is to demonstrate the impact of the D-Solve technology in a live production environment.

The move will examine how the technology can improve nickel recovery by removing unwanted materials such as magnesium from the concentrate.

These impurities are currently a limiting factor for Eagle Mine as they affect smelter acceptance and lead to valuable nickel being discarded in tailings.

Eagle Mine, an underground operation producing nickel and copper, is the only active source of nickel in the US.

Interview with Nicole Richards, CEO Allonia

By Suzanne Forcese

WT: Please introduce yourself to our viewers describing the journey that brought you to Allonnia.

Richards: I have always been fascinated with manufacturing processes-- transforming simple raw materials into finished products and what is possible. This curiosity led me into chemical engineering and further into the specialty chemical business, where I spent almost three decades at Cytec, Solvay, and DuPont.

While innovation has transpired, I witnessed the explosion of synthetic biology in industries like medicine, pharma, and food, but not in traditional heavy industries. That was the spark for Allonnia.

WT: Please give us an overview of Allonnia.

Richards: Allonnia was started five years ago and has focused on transforming waste using biotechnology.

Allonnia develops nature-based solutions that replace or complement traditional chemical and energy intensive processes. We are focused on finding elegant solutions to the world’s biggest environmental problems using the world’s smallest organisms.

We are part scientist, part engineer, part environmentalist combining deep expertise in biology with groundbreaking technology so we can be transformative in nature.

WT: On your website: “To solve the planet’s biggest environmental challenges, we’re writing a new law of conservation that waste is neither created nor destroyed — only transformed.” Please comment on the Allonnia ethos.

Richards: Our ethos is rooted in the belief that waste is not an endpoint but an untapped resource. By bringing the tools of biology to industries like mining, we’re building solutions that both create economic value and dramatically improve environmental outcomes. Our team came together around this shared vision: that biology has the power to reimagine some of the most resource-intensive industries, and that leadership in this space requires both technical rigor and a willingness to rethink what’s possible.

WT: Please describe the technology Allonnia provides, and how this is changing traditional industries in which you work.

Richards: Allonnia develops nature-based solutions that replace or complement traditional chemical- and energy-intensive processes. For example, in mining, we’ve introduced Allonnia D-Solve™, which uses biology to selectively dissolve unwanted impurities from mineral concentrate. In a recent demonstration with SGS and BHP, this innovation reduced magnesium impurities by 40% and increased nickel grade by 18%.

The impact is twofold: it boosts production efficiency while dramatically reducing waste and emissions. This is a fundamental shift away from traditional chemical-heavy processes toward biological systems that naturally extract, degrade, and recycle.

Beyond mining, we’re applying similar solutions to problems like PFAS contamination in water, helping industries meet regulatory and environmental commitments with cleaner, lower-cost methods.

WT: According to a business wire: Driven by electrification and the demands of artificial intelligence, demand is soaring for critical materials such as nickel, copper, lithium, and rare earth elements. The mining industry faces increasing challenges to efficiently and sustainably meet these demands from low-grade ores.

A recent demonstration at SGS’ metallurgical lab in Lakefield, Ontario using nickel-sulfide concentrate validated the efficacy of Allonnia’s biologically generated solution, or Biosolution, in a continuous process. The Allonnia Biosolution™ is the heart of the D-Solve process which will allow mine sites to increase production onsite, reduce tailings and slag, and dramatically lower CO ₂ emissions.

Please describe the demonstration in Ontario.

Richards: We recently ran a successful demonstration of Allonnia D-Solve™ in Ontario with SGS. The focus was on nickel-sulfide concentrate, and the results were very encouraging: a 40% reduction in magnesium impurities and an 18% increase in nickel grade. What was also impactful is that this scaled-up process mirrored the exact results we saw in the lab validated our process is scalable to this level.

This is a clear example of how biology can be harnessed to decarbonize mining, not just by making the process cleaner, but by enabling access to low-grade ores that would otherwise be uneconomic. It was proof that biotech can bring real, measurable value to mineral processing, and it gives us confidence as we scale these solutions through pilots like Eagle Mine.

WT: What does the partnership with Eagle Mine mean for Allonnia?

Richards: The collaboration represents a significant step forward in sustainable mineral processing, as the two companies work to demonstrate the impact of Allonnia’s D-Solve technology in a live-production environment.

Beginning in Q4 2025, the deployment will focus on selectively removing impurities from nickel concentrates to enhance metal recovery and support Eagle Mine’s commitment to innovation and responsible mining.

The Eagle Mine pilot is pivotal because it represents the application of biotech at the front lines of an industry under immense pressure to operate more sustainably.

As an example, Mining today extracts only about ~1% of the earth’s material mined. This means that 99% becomes waste. That’s a staggering number, and it signals the urgent need for better solutions.

Partnering with Eagle Mine gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how biology can transform that 99%, reducing liabilities, recovering value, and setting a new standard for responsible resource development. It’s not just about solving today’s problems but about reshaping the future of mining to be both more productive and more sustainable.

WT: How will the D-Solve Process work?

Richards: Our technology integrates into existing mineral processing flowsheets. Naturally occurring microbes generate “biosolvents” that selectively break down unwanted gangue minerals, effectively “cleaning up” the concentrate while preserving and even enhancing the valuable metals.

What’s critical is that our solutions are designed to be bolt-on, minimizing disruption to operations. In mining, downtime is extremely costly, so the onus is on us to deliver solutions that are proven, low-risk, and easy to implement. The process runs in parallel to existing systems, delivering both immediate efficiency gains and long-term environmental benefits.

The D-Solve process consists of 3 steps:

• Agitated Leach
• Solid liquid Separation
• Bio-solution regeneration

A stream of flotation concentrate is sent to an agitated leach tank, where a bio solution dissolves gangue minerals. The purified concentrate is removed by filtration and returned to the main process. Finally, the concentrate impurities are removed, and the bio-solution is returned to the leaching step.

The D-Solve process not only increases the value of the concentrate but can also create additional value by turning waste into feedstocks for other industrial processes or even be a potential path for CO2 sequestration.

WT: How is the ‘biosolution’ created?

Richards: The heart of the technology is the Allonnia Biosolution, created from naturally occurring microbes These microbes found onsite at mining operations are cultivated in bioreactors under ideal conditions to produce a biosolution -- a powerful mixture that selectively dissolves unwanted gangue while purifying valuable mineral concentrates.

The biosolutions are captured and all microbes remain in the fermentor. The biosolution is then transported to the mine site. The result is increased mineral production; improved grade; with higher mineral recovery using lower grade ore. This happens with familiar operational equipment while decarbonizing the flowsheet -- all at a lower cost

WT: Moving forward...what’s next?

Richards We’re scaling our work in mining, building on the success of our demonstrations, and pursuing partnerships with leaders across the industry.

Beyond mining, we’re also expanding our portfolio of biotech solutions from PFAS remediation to tailings treatment to CO₂ sequestration. Our vision is to make waste transformation mainstream. That means continuing to prove the business value of biotech while building toward the bigger goal of a carbon-free, waste-free industrial future.

WT: Please leave our viewers with a thought that underscores your vision.

Richards I’d love to underscore the bigger picture: that biotech is not just a sustainability play, it’s a competitive advantage. By extracting more value from waste streams, companies not only reduce liabilities but also unlock new revenue and ensure resilience in the face of geopolitical and supply chain pressures.

Rare earths aren’t actually rare. They can be found everywhere -- including in waste. By leveraging biotech to recover critical minerals domestically, we can address both national security and economic competitiveness while building a more sustainable world.

At Allonnia we dream of a future where legacy waste has been remediated, the climate is healthy and supports our population, and we live in an economy where post manufacturing and consumer waste are upcycled into new products. These are just some of the reasons why we believe, Waste is a Failure of the Imagination. Our mission is to build the technologies that make waste a thing of the past, and we are looking for likeminded partners to build it with us.

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