Nuclear fusion start-up claims to have cracked alchemy
The promise of turning base metals into gold has transfixed some of the greatest minds in history, from the ancient Egyptians to Sir Isaac Newton.
But now a Silicon Valley start-up claims to have finally cracked the millennia-old riddle of alchemy – by using nuclear fusion technology.
Marathon Fusion claims to have discovered a method of converting mercury into gold by bombarding mercury isotopes with high-energy neutrons.
The neutrons are released during nuclear fusion, when two hydrogen isotopes are forced together to form helium.
This means the alchemy process can be carried out alongside power generation.
“Unlike previous attempts, our method is massively scalable, pragmatically achievable, and economically irresistible,” Marathon Fusion said. “This marks the beginning of a new golden age.”
The company, which is developing ways of processing and recycling fuel for the nascent fusion industry, has published a scientific paper on the proposed transmutation method. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
The history of alchemy stretches back thousands of years and has long focused on transforming metals into gold and seeking an elixir of immortality.
Over thousands of years, it has captivated thinkers such as Newton, the English physicist who developed the mathematical law of universal gravitation in the late 17th century.
Many dreamed of creating a “philosopher’s stone” that would be used as a catalyst for transmuting base metals such as lead into gold.
Marathon’s idea relies on substituting materials used in the well-understood process of nuclear fusion instead.
Fusion takes place when two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, are forced together to create helium, releasing high-energy subatomic particles called neutrons.
It is accomplished by heating the deuterium and tritium atoms to extreme temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius and then confining them into a tight space so that they collide.
The process becomes self-sustaining when helium atoms collide with the fuel particles, transferring their energy and ensuring the reaction keeps going.
But fusion reactors typically contain other materials, including isotopes of beryllium, lead, or lithium, to ensure there is continuously enough tritium in the mix.
These are known as “multipliers” because when they are hit by a neutron, they release two neutrons in their place. These extra neutrons then react with lithium to produce tritium.
Radical transformation
Marathon’s method uses mercury-198, a common form of mercury, as a multiplier. When hit by a neutron, these atoms change into a less stable form called mercury-197.
Over a few days, those atoms then naturally break down into a stable form of gold.
Marathon claims this means the fusion process can be used to generate supplies of gold as a byproduct, “without any compromise to fuel self-sufficiency or power output”.
Using the new approach, the company says a fusion power plant with a capacity of about one gigawatt could generate 5,000 kilograms of gold per year.
The gold produced by the reaction is stable, but could contain some radioactive gold isotopes, potentially meaning it must be stored for up to 18 years, according to the company.
The start-up added: “Marathon’s techno-economic modelling suggests that fusion plants could create as much economic value from gold production as they do from electricity production, potentially doubling the value of these facilities, radically transforming the economics of fusion and of energy more broadly.”
Beyond gold, it also claimed the transmutation process could be used for making precious metals such as palladium, synthesising medical isotopes, or producing materials for “nuclear batteries”.
Marathon was founded by Adam Rutkowski, a former engineer at Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, and Kyle Schiller, who was a fellow at ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt’s research foundation, Schmidt Futures.
UK to ease planning rules for fusion projects
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Currently, fusion projects must submit an application to the local authority with no set timelines for approval and no guidance on which sites are appropriate – potentially hindering the technology's development in the UK.
The plans will see fusion introduced into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime, putting fusion energy projects on the same footing as other clean energy technologies such as solar, onshore wind and nuclear fission. It will help fusion energy projects move faster along the process from identifying sites to the start of construction.
"The introduction of a National Policy Statement will provide clarity to developers and streamline the planning process for fusion, giving applicants clearer guidance on where and how quickly projects can be developed," the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said. "This will give industry certainty, break down regulatory barriers and get projects built quicker to cement the UK's position at the forefront of the global race for fusion."
"The future of fusion energy starts now," said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. "We are ensuring the clean energy of the future gets built in Britain, supporting the creation of highly skilled jobs and driving growth into our industrial heartlands as part of our Plan for Change."
UK Atomic Energy Authority CEO Tim Bestwick added: "The inclusion of fusion energy in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime is a clear indication of the government's support for fusion. Fusion promises to be a safe, sustainable part of the world's future energy supply and the UK has a huge opportunity to become a global hub of fusion and related technology.
"Fusion-specific planning rules will help provide certainty about investing in UK fusion developments, and strengthen the UK's position as a leader in the quest to commercialise fusion energy."
The government's Spending Review - released earlier this month - also delivered a commitment to invest more than GBP2.5 billion (USD3.4 billion) in fusion research and development. This includes progressing with the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme, which aims to develop and build a world-leading fusion power plant by 2040 at West Burton near Retford in Nottinghamshire. The demonstration plant is due to begin operating by 2040.
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