FluoRok announces its relocation to a state-of-the-art chemistry laboratory and offices at leading science and innovation cluster, ARC (Advanced Research Clusters) Oxford.
The move significantly increases FluoRok’s laboratory capacity and will enable accelerated commercialization of our revolutionary fluorination technology, which is set to vastly reduce manufacturing costs, lower carbon emissions and, for the first time, introduce a cyclic economy for fluorochemicals via the use of waste fluoride sources.
“This expansion is a key milestone in FluoRok’s growth and enables our team of talented scientists to scale our groundbreaking technology at pace. We’re looking forward to delivering safer, cleaner and sustainable HF-free fluorination solutions to the fluorochemicals industry,” said FluoRok founder and CEO, Dr Gabriele Pupo.
Oxford, United Kingdom, 23 November 2023 – FluoRok, a deep-tech start-up company developing revolutionary processes to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe, clean and sustainable way, has been awarded a Catapult grant by Innovate UK Edge.
Innovate UK Edge seeks to empower innovation-driven businesses to grow at pace and achieve their industry and society transforming ambitions. The grant will fund an independent technical and economic viability assessment of FluoRok’s novel fluorochemical manufacturing process.
Fluorochemicals are fundamental to our daily life, with key applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and Lithium-ion batteries. However, their production currently relies on a centuries-old, energy-intensive process involving highly toxic, hazardous, and difficult-to-handle hydrogen fluoride (HF). Fluorok’s revolutionary technology bypasses HF to directly manufacture fluorinated materials from raw minerals or fluorinated waste streams. The results are vastly reduced manufacturing costs, lower carbon emissions and, for the first time, a cyclic economy for fluorochemicals via the use of waste fluoride sources.
The assessment, to be conducted by technology innovation catalyst and globally renowned process experts CPI, will independently validate the expected benefits and costs, providing a wealth of data to enable FluoRok to effectively identify and evaluate options to scale-up and commercialize its groundbreaking technology.
Dr Gabriele Pupo, FluoRok’s CEO said, “This grant is another step in FluoRok’s growth journey and an independent evaluation of our technology is key to our commercial roadmap. We are looking forward to working with the team at CPI over the coming weeks and I’d like to thank Innovate UK Edge for their support.”
About Fluorok FluoRok is a start-up company based in Oxford, UK and focused on fluorochemical R&D, manufacturing and licensing. It develops novel and transformational technologies to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. Founded in 2022, the company builds on decades of research in the laboratories of Professor Véronique Gouverneur at the University of Oxford. Contact Gabriele Pupo, Ph.D. or Clare Simpson, info@fluorok.com
FluoRok’s proprietary technology directly employs fluorinated waste material or naturally occurring fluorite mineral as a source, to access high-value compounds that are key to the world’s energy transition, our global food supply, and our health. Its innovative solution reduces energy requirements, lowers CO2 emissions and enables reshoring of fluorochemical manufacturing due to intrinsic process safety.
FluoRok is backed by Oxford Science Enterprises, an independent, billion-pound investment company, that funds transformational businesses via its unique partnership with the University of Oxford.
About Innovate UK Edge Innovate UK’s business growth and scaling service offers tailored support and advice to innovation-focused companies, empowering them to achieve their ambitions.
About the Catapult network The Catapult network brings together nine elite technology centres established by Innovate UK as a long-term investment in the UK’s economic capability. Through cutting-edge R&D infrastructure partnership building and specialist knowledge, Catapults help businesses accelerate the development, deployment and adoption of new technologies, bringing valuable products and services into existence to compete in the global markets of tomorrow.
About CPI CPI catalyses the adoption of advanced technologies and manufacturing solutions to benefit people, places, and our planet.
We’re a pioneering social enterprise that accelerates the development, scale-up and commercialisation of smart AgriFoodTech, energy storage, HealthTech, materials, and pharma innovations. Through our incredible innovation experts and infrastructure, we look beyond the obvious to transform healthcare and drive towards a sustainable future.
As a trusted partner of industry, academia, government, entrepreneurs and the investment community, we connect the dots within the innovation ecosystem to make great ideas and inventions a reality. We believe by working together we can build a better collective future, and as part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, we facilitate access to world-class organisations to deliver transformation across industries and landscapes.
Creating lasting global impact from the North of England and Scotland, we invest in people and disruptive technologies to invigorate economies, create circular supply chains and make our world a better place.
Oxford, United Kingdom, 20 September 2023 – FluoRok, a deep-tech start-up company developing revolutionary processes to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe, clean and sustainable way, today announces the appointment of Steve Dobson as a non-executive director.
Steve is a Chartered Scientist and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers with a 40-year career in the chemical industry. For ten years Steve was Head of the Electronic Chemicals division of Solvay SA, a business which grew more than tenfold under his leadership and where he played a key role in commercializing new technologies and materials, including working with a number of start-up and spin out companies. Steve is presently a board member with lithium-ion battery materials maker Nexeon Ltd and leading specialty coating company Tullis Russell as well as a number of not-for-profit boards. For full profile click here.
Steve Dobson said, “Having many years of experience in both the upstream and downstream fluorine based markets I could immediately see the potential of FluoRok’s innovative technology to impact these industries from both an economic and sustainability perspective and I am delighted to be joining the board at this early stage to realize its potential.”
Dr Gabriele Pupo, FluoRok’s CEO said, “I am thrilled to welcome Steve to FluoRok’s board. He brings a wealth of international commercial experience in the fluorochemicals industry which will be of critical importance in enabling FluoRok to bring its revolutionary technology to the market and build our business.”
About Fluorok – FluoRok is a start-up company based in Oxford, UK and focused on fluorochemical R&D, manufacturing and licensing. It develops novel and transformational technologies to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. Founded in 2022, the company builds on decades of research in the laboratories of Professor Véronique Gouverneur at the University of Oxford.
FluoRok’s proprietary technology directly employs fluorinated waste material or naturally occurring fluorite mineral as a source, to access high-value compounds that are key to the world’s energy transition, our global food supply, and our health. Its innovative solution reduces energy requirements, lowers CO2 emissions and enables reshoring of fluorochemical manufacturing due to intrinsic process safety.
FluoRok is backed by Oxford Science Enterprises, an independent, billion-pound investment company, that funds transformational businesses via its unique partnership with the University of Oxford.
Oxford, United Kingdom, 31 August 2023 – FluoRok, a deep-tech start-up company developing revolutionary processes to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe, clean and sustainable way, today announces the appointment of Dr Robert (Bob) G. Syvret as an advisor. With his extensive industry experience, Bob will provide pivotal support as FluoRok shapes strategy to commercialise its transformational technology allowing efficient, safe, sustainable access to fluorochemicals crucially without the traditional intermediate production of highly toxic hydrofluoric acid.
Bob is a world-renowned fluorine chemist with over 35 years of industrial experience creating new fluorinated molecules, developing new process technology and commercializing several new high-value fluorochemical products. For his full profile click here.
Dr Bob Syvret said, “I’m honoured to serve in an advisory role to FluoRok and to help the company industrialize this game-changing fluorination technology.”
Dr Gabriele Pupo, FluoRok’s CEO said, “I am delighted to welcome Bob as an advisor to FluoRok. His remarkable experience and expertise will be invaluable in enabling FluoRok to revolutionize the fluorochemical industry and create a better, safer, cleaner world.”
About Fluorok – FluoRok is a start-up company based in Oxford, UK and focused on fluorochemical R&D, manufacturing and licensing. It develops novel and transformational technologies to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. Founded in 2022, the company builds on decades of research in the laboratories of Professor Véronique Gouverneur at the University of Oxford.
FluoRok’s proprietary technology directly employs fluorinated waste material or naturally occurring fluorite mineral as a source, to access high-value compounds that are key to the world’s energy transition, our global food supply, and our health. Its innovative solution reduces energy requirements, lowers CO2 emissions and enables reshoring of fluorochemical manufacturing due to intrinsic process safety.
FluoRok is backed by Oxford Science Enterprises, an independent, billion-pound investment company, that funds transformational businesses via its unique partnership with the University of Oxford.
– Fluorochemicals are crucial for the world’s energy transition, global food supply and our health
– FluoRok’s pioneering approach, originally developed at the University of Oxford, bypasses the traditionally toxic and hazardous process based on hydrogen fluoride (HF)
Oxford, United Kingdom, 21 July 2023 – FluoRok, a deep-tech company developing revolutionary processes to access fluorochemicals in an efficiet, safe, clean and sustainable way, today announces the publication of its first article in Science.
The article describes a new method for the direct synthesis of high-value fluorochemicals from fluorspar (CaF2) with a process that will revolutionize safety standards for fluorination and make significant progress towards net-zero emissions in the fluorochemical industry. The study was led by the University of Oxford (research group of FluoRok’s co-founder Prof. Véronique Gouverneur) and FluoRok in collaboration with University College London and Colorado State University.
For more information, download the full announcement:
Founded by renowned fluorination expert Oxford Professor Véronique Gouverneur and Dr Gabriele Pupo with their combined decades of experience in fluorination chemistry, organic synthesis and catalysis.
Oxford, United Kingdom, 05 July 2023 – FluoRok, a deep-tech company developing revolutionary processes to access fluorochemicals in an efficient, safe, clean and sustainable way, today announces £3m of pre-seed funding from Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE).
FluoRok is pioneering a new method for the direct synthesis of high value fluorochemicals from fluorspar (CaF2). Its proprietary technology directly employs fluorinated waste material or naturally occurring fluorite mineral as a source, to access high-value compounds that are key to the world’s energy transition, our global food supply, and our health.
For more information, download the full announcement:
