Silicon Valley startup says it has found way to turn mercury into gold, if proven may hit gold prices
Earlier this year, Marathon turned its attention to nuclear transmutation, proposing to introduce a mercury isotope, mercury-198, into a fusion reactor to turn it into mercury-197. That's in addition to the conventional fuels used to realise fusion inside a reactor, such as lithium and hydrogen isotopes.But this time, there's an interesting side effect: mercury-197 is an unstable isotope that eventually decays into gold-197.While the process remains unproven, the startup's leadership is seeing dollar signs — or gold ingots, as the case may be. CTO Adam Rutkowski and CEO Kyle Schiller say they could produce 11,000 pounds of gold a year per gigawatt of electricity generation, and without affecting the overall power output of the system.Marathon claims its breakthrough technique could allow fusion reactors to produce gold as a bonus byproduct, without reducing the plant's energy output or compromising its ability to sustain its own fuel cycle. According to the company's projections, a fusion power station with a capacity of one gigawatt could generate around 5,000 kilograms of gold every year using this approach.The firm notes that while the gold created through this transmutation process would be stable, trace amounts of radioactive isotopes could still be present. This might mean the gold would need to be stored securely for as long as 18 years before it could be handled or sold safely.Marathon's techno-economic modelling suggests that such a setup could make gold production just as valuable as the electricity the plant generates, effectively doubling the commercial potential of a fusion facility and dramatically reshaping the economic case for fusion energy.advertisementBeyond gold, the company adds that the same nuclear processes could also be used to create other high-value materials, such as components for 'nuclear batteries,' medical isotopes for healthcare, and precious metals like palladium.As a result, the hypothetical fusion power plant could theoretically double its revenue, they claim.CTO also suggested that the key insight here is that it can be used in a set of fast neutron reactions to make really large quantities of gold while satisfying the fuel cycle requirements of the system. Of course, it's not quite as simple as that. For one, other gold isotopes created in the process could make the valuable metal radioactive, which could mean it would have to be stored for anywhere from 14 to 18 years before it's safe to handle.Even with a massive surge in new startups attracting billions of dollars in investments to turn fusion reactors into a viable form of energy production, the basic concept of fusing atoms to generate electricity has yet to become practical.- EndsTrending Reel
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Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
To further tech manufacturing, India rethinks China blockade
Nearly half a decade ago, India adopted a 'China-out' strategy of sorts, in response to the border clashes in 2020, introduced an anti-Beijing foreign investment policy, and kept Chinese firms out of critical sectors like telecommunications. Now, however, necessitated by changing geopolitical dynamics, following US President Donald Trump's unprecedented onslaught on global trade, and India's own manufacturing ambitions, New Delhi is undertaking a serious rethink on the existing strategy, and is strongly considering particularly easing China-based entities' entry into the country, with some riders. The most recent sign of the thaw came in the form of a recommendation made by the government think tank Niti Aayog, earlier this month, to ease India's foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, which involves government scrutiny into investments made by Chinese firms. Earlier, the Economic Survey 2023-24 had sprung a surprise by advocating attracting investments from Chinese companies to boost exports. India had earlier put restrictions on investments from China through Press Note 3 in April 2020 to curb potential opportunistic takeovers of Indian companies during the Covid-19 pandemic by making a government approval mandatory for all investments from countries sharing a land border with India, including China. It continued to be in force in the wake of national security concerns due to border tensions after the Galwan clash. Early signs of a thaw There have been some signs that India is slowly, but surely, allowing Chinese companies to partner with Indian entities. Dixon Technologies, which is a major Indian electronics assembly company, received approval from the IT Ministry to set up a joint venture with China-based Longcheer. 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China, which continues to dominate the product category, saw its share drop from 82 per cent to 49 per cent over the same period, this paper had reported earlier. China's actions include pulling workers out of India, and making it more difficult for India-based manufacturing companies to obtain capital goods, which are needed for the assembly process. China has also imposed a blockade on several rare earth metals and magnets, and while the prime target of that restriction is the United States, India has found itself caught in the crosshairs. Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers' rights, privacy, India's prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More
Mint
13 minutes ago
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How you can use these spending-linked deductions to save taxes
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Time of India
13 minutes ago
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Spirit Airlines to furlough 270 pilots, demote 140 more on downsized schedule
Advt Spirit Airlines said on Monday it will furlough about 270 pilots while demoting another 140, as the cash-strapped budget carrier looks to scale down its workforce to match a downsized furloughs will go into effect on November 1, while designation downgrades for captains will take place on October 1, the company told Reuters in an emailed statement."We are taking necessary steps to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible as part of our efforts to return to profitability," the airline announcement, first reported by Bloomberg News, comes as Spirit tries to overhaul its business to move away from its no-frills image and rebrand as a premium Florida-based carrier had filed for bankruptcy protection last November, following years of losses, heavy debt, and failed merger attempts. It emerged from bankruptcy in March."Spirit continues to shrink, and with it, the value of pilot seniority and Spirit careers continues to erode," said Captain Ryan Muller, chairman of the Spirit unit of the Air Line Pilots Association , adding that this marks the third round of pilot furloughs and downgrades since September union said it is working on a third Furlough Mitigation Memorandum of Understanding to pursue voluntary options to reduce the scope of the furloughs and preserve pilot careers.
