Nuclear Fusion Can Create Gold, Startup Claims

Quick Overview

A San Francisco-based startup, Marathon Fusion, claims their nuclear fusion power plant can produce up to three tons of gold annually by repurposing the fast neutrons generated by the deuterium-tritium reaction. The process involves layers of mercury, lithium, and molten salt around the reactor to convert mercury into gold through an N2N reaction and produce tritium for the reactor's needs. While the concept is described as "roughly plausible," the resulting gold would be radioactive for approximately 14 years.

Key Points: Marathon Fusion claims their nuclear fusion power plant can produce up to three tons of gold annually. The process involves using fast neutrons from a deuterium-tritium fusion reaction to convert mercury into gold via an "N2N process" in a mercury-lithium shielding layer. Additional layers of molten salt and steel are used to slow neutrons for capturing by lithium, which produces tritium to fuel the reactor. A computer simulation for a 1.5 GW reactor predicts nearly 3,000 kg of gold production per year, with a value comparable to the electricity produced. The startup suggests this could double the output value of fusion power plants, significantly boosting investment in fusion energy. A major drawback is that the produced gold would be radioactive for approximately 14 years.

Context: The video discusses a claim made by Marathon Fusion, a San Francisco-based startup, regarding the potential of nuclear fusion power plants to produce gold. The company is pursuing the most common approach to nuclear fusion, which involves deuterium and tritium. The transcript outlines the technical challenges of this approach, such as managing fast neutrons and sourcing tritium, and how Marathon Fusion aims to turn these challenges into advantages for gold production.

Detailed Analysis

Marathon Fusion, a San Francisco-based startup, proposes a novel application for nuclear fusion power plants, claiming they can generate up to three tons of gold per year. This ambitious goal is achieved by strategically utilizing the high-energy neutrons produced in a deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reaction, typically within a tokamak-like device. The company's approach addresses two primary challenges in fusion: managing fast neutrons and acquiring tritium. They propose surrounding the reactor vessel with three layers of shielding. The innermost layer contains a mixture of mercury and lithium, designed to convert mercury into gold via an "N2N process" (where one neutron enters a nucleus and two are ejected, resulting in a net loss of one neutron). This process transforms stable mercury isotopes into unstable ones, which then decay into stable gold isotopes. The middle layer consists of a molten salt of lithium, beryllium, and fluoride, which slows down some of the fast neutrons. These slower neutrons are captured by lithium, producing helium and tritium. The amounts of these materials are carefully calculated so that tritium production meets the reactor's requirements, with excess neutrons available for gold production. A computer simulation for a 1.5 GW fusion reactor suggests an output of nearly 3,000 kilograms of gold annually, potentially doubling the expected output value of a fusion power plant and significantly boosting investment in fusion energy development. However, a critical caveat is that the newly produced gold would be radioactive for about 14 years until its radioactivity drops below safety thresholds. The transcript notes that this concept is not yet peer-reviewed but is considered "roughly plausible." The author contrasts this with nuclear fission plants, whose neutrons are too slow for this purpose, and dismisses selling tritium due to market saturation. The scale of gold production is also contrasted with CERN's picogram-level gold production at the Large Hadron Collider.