Rockburst Technologies Inc.

Pathway to Carbon Negative Nickel by CoreBurst™
Sector: Mining
Technology: Carbon Management
NorthX Backing: $500,000
Project Value: $3,488,428
Project Status: Active

Founded in Vancouver in 2020, Rockburst Technologies Inc. is a cleantech company revolutionizing rock fracturing, a process currently responsible for 4% of global electricity consumption. Rockburst’s proprietary CoreBurst™ technology utilizes CO₂ to break rocks from within, offering a more energy-efficient alternative to traditional crushing methods—an innovative solution that gets to the heart of one of the most energy-intensive operations across the mining, cement, and recycling sectors. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 50 Most Investible Cleantech Ventures two years running by Foresight Canada, Rockburst has established itself as a leader in sustainable mineral processing.

The Problem

The mining industry faces growing pressure to meet rising demand for critical minerals like nickel, while simultaneously reducing its substantial carbon footprint. A core challenge is comminution—the energy-intensive process of crushing ore—which consumes up to 4% of global electricity. Declining ore grades makes the process even more energy intensive as it forces the need to process more rock to obtain the same amount of minerals, driving up both costs and emissions. Addressing this obstacle requires breakthrough technologies that can deliver minerals more efficiently and sustainably.

The Solution

CoreBurst™ technology enables nickel mining with a potential negative carbon footprint by reducing energy use and permanently sequestering CO₂ in rock.

Rockburst’s proprietary CoreBurst™ technology is an innovative solution that tackles both energy inefficiency and carbon emissions in the rock fracturing process of mining operations. By using pressurized CO₂ to fracture rock from within, energy savings of 50% are realized and about 160kg of CO2 sequestered per tonne of nickel ore processed.

This investment from NorthX is enabling Rockburst to move from laboratory-scale prototypes to real-world pilot deployments while making crucial field validation tests with nickel ore and the gathering on-site data possible. This is the key step toward proving Rockburst’s business case and scaling its technology, directly supporting the goal of commercial deployment by 2030 and positioning the company as a leader in sustainable mining.

“With the help of NorthX, this project will contribute to Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy by advancing the country’s position in mineral innovation leadership. By choosing to decarbonize nickel, we aim to demonstrate that mining can be done sustainably and economically.”
Oscar Malpica, CEO, Rockburst Technologies Inc.
Rockburst Technologies Inc.

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