Sustainable Mining: Microbes Extract Copper & Lithium (+ BHP, Rio Tinto, & 2x Demand by 2050)

Hear how Dr. Liz Dennett and Endolith use biotech microbes to revolutionize copper recovery, cut chemicals, and power clean energy metals.Endolith is a Denver-based biotech startup revolutionizing mining by leveraging microbes to sustainably extract copper and lithium from low-grade ores. Founded in 2023, the company employs custom-engineered microbial communities, adaptive biohatcheries, and real-time cloud-based monitoring to enhance mineral recovery while minimizing environmental impact. Endolith's innovations have demonstrated significant improvements in copper extraction, attracting partnerships with industry leaders like BHP and Rio Tinto. Their approach not only boosts efficiency but also reduces reliance on harmful chemicals, aligning mining practices with clean energy goals.–Dr. Liz Dennett is a technologist and entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience in biotech and energy industries.Previously, she was the CTO of Cemvita, developing nature-inspired biosolutions for a carbon-neutral future.  Liz has held senior roles at Wood Mackenzie, AWS, Biota Technology, Hess Corporation, and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. She is also an advisory board member for the UW-Madison Dept. of Geoscience.  Liz holds a MS and PhD in geoscience and astrobiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison–We talked about reasons for her purple hair, copper demand expected to double by 2050, specially evolved microbial communities combined with cloud computing to enhance copper recovery, relying on internal validation over external approval, and bad mining puns.--🔗 PODCAST SHOW LINKSLiz Dennett - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizpdEndolith - https://www.endolithmining.com/--🙏 SHOUT-OUTS:Please give Liz and Endolith a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or X by sharing this podcast with your people. --📈 JOIN EFI’S CLIMATE CEO PEER GROUP:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — Join North America’s top private peer group community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. We’re an invite-only community of 100 CEO Fellows and Mentors (investors and post-exit CEOs) representing over $40B of market value or financial assets for climate solutions. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--📣 GET EFI'S NEWSLETTER:We share 4 insights in 4 minutes from working with 400 climate CEOs and investors. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--✍🏼 LEAVE A REVIEW:To help more people discover the climate tech CEOs and investors we interview, please take one minute to review or rate this podcast. Since we don’t take any sponsors for this podcast, our guests really appreciate your reviews!Here are instructions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--🤔 PODCAST HOST:Dr. Chris Wedding is a CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. Daily LinkedIn posts on climate tech startups, CEOs, and finance here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

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