This Startup Turns Desalination Waste Into Lithium and Freshwater

Jan de Vries · 2026-11-02

Seamoretech, a Porto-based CleanTech startup, just raised $1.2 million (€1.1 million) in the first closing of its Seed round. That might not sound like a headline-grabbing number, but what they're doing with it is pretty remarkable. They're turning desalination brine—the salty waste left over from making freshwater—into both drinkable water and valuable minerals like lithium and magnesium. And they're doing it with a technology that could reshape how we think about water and mining. ### The Brine Problem Nobody Talks About Desalination plants around the world produce huge amounts of brine. For every gallon of freshwater, roughly the same amount of brine is generated. Traditionally, that brine is dumped back into the ocean, where it can harm marine ecosystems. It's a liability that industries have long ignored. Seamoretech saw an opportunity instead. Founded in 2021 by Sofia Delgado and Eva Sousa, the company is a spin-off from the University of Porto's Faculty of Engineering. Their proprietary technology recovers purified freshwater and high-value minerals—including magnesium, calcium, copper, and lithium—from that waste stream. The system is containerized and plug-and-play, using forward osmosis to achieve Zero Liquid Discharge. In plain English: nothing gets returned to the ocean. It's designed to bolt onto existing plants without downtime or upfront capital costs for operators. ### The Numbers That Make You Look Twice Seamoretech claims some impressive stats: - Doubles freshwater production yield - Cuts energy consumption by 50% compared to reverse osmosis - Reduces operating costs by 30% - Lowers carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional mining That last point is key. Mining lithium and other minerals is carbon-intensive and environmentally destructive. Recovering them from brine is a much cleaner alternative. And with Europe pushing hard for domestic supply of critical raw materials, Seamoretech is positioning itself as part of the solution. > "We are entering Seamoretech's next phase with a clear ambition: to scale our technology, accelerate our market entry, produce freshwater at a lower cost, and establish a European reference in critical raw materials recovery, while helping protect marine ecosystems," said Sofia Delgado, CEO and co-founder. The new funding will fuel the next phase of industrialization and commercial expansion. The company plans to launch in Spain next year and is already building a pipeline of pilot projects in Spain and Egypt. A second closing of the Seed round is expected in the coming months. ### Why This Matters Beyond Europe Water scarcity and mineral shortages are global challenges. By 2040, Seamoretech aims to reduce global reliance on new mineral extraction by 30%. That's a bold goal, but if their technology delivers on its promises, it's not out of reach. The fact that they're starting in Europe—where regulations are strict and water stress is real—is a good proving ground. For investors, this is a bet on two massive markets at once: water and critical minerals. The round saw participation from Rypples, 7Seas Capital, and Crédito Agrícola, bringing total raised to $3.3 million (€3 million). These are investors with deep experience in OceanTech and ClimateTech, so they know what they're looking at. Seamoretech isn't just another CleanTech startup. They're tackling two of Europe's biggest priorities—water scarcity and raw material security—with a technology that can deploy quickly on existing infrastructure. That's a combination worth watching.