How Tokamak Fusion Reactors Could Create Gold from Mercury

Key Takeaways

1. Marathon Fusion has proposed a new fusion reactor design that aims to convert mercury-198 into stable gold-197 using fast neutrons from a tokamak.
2. The reactor’s blanket includes mercury and lithium near the core, surrounded by molten lithium-beryllium-fluoride salts, potentially producing up to 3000 kg of gold annually.
3. The process also generates tritium, creating a closed fuel cycle by capturing slowed neutrons in lithium.
4. The produced gold would have trace amounts of radioactive gold-198, requiring a decay period of about 14 years before it can be safely used.
5. The concept is speculative and remains unverified, pending peer review and physical experimentation to assess its economic and technical feasibility.

Marathon Fusion, a company located in San Francisco, has introduced a new idea for a fusion reactor. Their concept revolves around using fast neutrons from a 1.5 gigawatt thermal tokamak to change mercury-198 into stable gold-197. The reactor’s layered blanket is designed with mercury and lithium positioned close to the core, which is surrounded by molten lithium-beryllium-fluoride salts. According to their simulations, this setup could potentially produce as much as 3000 kg of gold each year, valued at around 180 million euros, all while maintaining electricity generation.

Tritium Production

In addition, this same blanket would be capable of generating tritium by slowing down neutrons and capturing them in lithium, resulting in a closed fuel cycle. Nonetheless, the gold produced would contain trace amounts of radioactive gold-198, necessitating a decay period of roughly 14 years before it can be safely used commercially. It is important to note that this research is solely based on simulations and has yet to be validated through peer review or physical experimentation.

Speculative Nature

Even though the nuclear reactions proposed are feasible, the overall idea remains uncertain. Until there is a working commercial fusion reactor, it is impossible to verify the economic and technical viability of producing gold via neutron transmutation. If validated, this concept could draw attention from both investors in energy and those in the advanced materials sector.

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