New Wave

New Wave is a Luxembourg-based global technology holding company, founded in 2019 by CEO Gustavo Emina and Lorinvest, focused on developing sustainable and cost-effective technologies for the mining and metallurgical sectors. The company operates with a mission to transform industrial waste into valuable resources, addressing significant environmental challenges while creating economic value. New Wave is controlled by Lorinvest, an investment firm guided by the entrepreneurial vision of the Lorentzen family, which has a long history of investing in Brazil's bioeconomy. In April 2025, the company announced a $120 million funding round, with a significant $80 million commitment from Orion Resource Partners, to advance its R&D and construct a new Technology Center in Rio de Janeiro.

The company's core activities are channeled through its subsidiaries. New Wave Tech, founded in 2019, serves as the central R&D hub in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, developing solutions for processing strategic minerals essential for the energy transition. This division holds four green patents from Brazil's National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) for its technologies.

Wave Aluminium is commercializing a microwave-based technology, Microwave Energy Transfer (MET), to process bauxite residue, the toxic byproduct of alumina refining. This method sustainably recovers over 80% of the waste, turning it into marketable products like green iron, titanium dioxide, silica gel, and alumina, while reducing CO2 emissions and water consumption. In a key strategic move, Wave Aluminium partnered with Hydro Alunorte in January 2023 to build a semi-industrial plant in Pará, Brazil, expected to be operational by 2026. The initial plant will process 50,000 tonnes of bauxite residue annually, with potential expansion to process up to 5 million tonnes.

Wave Nickel is positioned to impact the electric vehicle market by enabling the beneficiation of low-grade laterite nickel ores from waste piles and marginal deposits. This subsidiary acquired a nickel plant in Niquelândia, Brazil, from Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio (CBA) and plans to invest significantly through 2029 to produce nickel-cobalt mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), a crucial material for batteries. Its MET technology allows for high selectivity in separating nickel, cobalt, and other minerals, and an acid recirculation rate of 99%, eliminating the need for tailings dams.

Keywords: mining technology, sustainable mining, circular economy, bauxite residue processing, red mud valorization, low-grade nickel, microwave energy transfer, green patents, strategic minerals, mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, cleantech, industrial waste recycling, green iron, nickel MHP, cobalt recovery, Lorinvest, Gustavo Emina, Wave Aluminium, Wave Nickel, energy transition metals