Chilean technology recognized by the World Economic Forum

With its disruptive technology for sustainable copper processing, UdeC spin-off Kofiln was selected among the 13 winning startups of the Sustainable Mining Challenge.

Kofiln SpA, a spin-off company from the University of Concepción (UdeC), was recognized as one of the winners of the Sustainable Mining Challenge. The announcement was made during Climate Week, which takes place in New York from September 23 to 27, alongside the 79th United Nations General Assembly.

The World Economic Forum's global initiative received nearly 150 applications from around the world through its open innovation platform: UpLink. The challenge brought together various startups that promote new approaches to mining, with sustainable and innovative technologies across the entire value chain.

Of the 13 startups selected as winners, Kofiln is the only Chilean entity chosen. They will join the exclusive group of "top innovators" within the UpLink community and will undergo a 3-year support process, granting them access to extensive networks of contacts and connections with impact investment funds, as well as investors seeking sustainable technologies aligned with climate action.

Sustainable Copper Processing

With over four decades of collaboration with the mining industry in Chile and globally, the Chemical Metallurgy Group from the UdeC Faculty of Engineering has developed innovative approaches that promote a circular economy, low emissions, and the recovery of valuable metals.

In this context, Kofiln SpA is a spin-off created to bring to market a disruptive technology for sustainable copper processing, which is patented worldwide. It operates without emissions and eliminates slag, producing copper and sulfuric acid, along with co-products for widespread industrial use by recovering iron in the form of magnetite or ferroalloys and generating cement products. The process uses renewable hydrogen as a reducing agent, marking a revolutionary shift in the copper value chain.

“At this stage, as we are entering the pilot phase for industrial validation of the technology, this recognition is particularly valuable and timely because it will give us access to many support networks in the mining and technology sectors, as well as access to investment funds,” said Marcela Angulo, Director of UdeC Santiago.

Currently, the technology is at TRL 5, or semi-pilot level, and has proven to be competitive in both capital cost and effective margin compared to traditional smelting technologies. As a result, it offers a sustainable and competitive alternative to contribute to a secure and diversified supply of copper for the global energy.