Renewable energy sources are crucial in ensuring the future of Earth and its living organisms. The burning of fossil fuels is becoming less desirable by the day, but even the most advanced renewable energy technologies have their limits. However, everything is about to change, as a new “impossible” fuel has been discovered. Thanks to this new fuel, nuclear energy could be green soon.
The world is becoming obsessed with nuclear fusion
At present, the globe’s operating nuclear power plants utilize nuclear fission, which is when an atom is split open to generate energy. However, countless scientists have dedicated their entire careers to achieving nuclear fusion, which is when atoms are combined and generate even more energy without any dangerous waste. Many people believe (and some even hope) that nuclear fusion will be a vital carbon-free power source.
Nuclear fusion is also a reaction that is observed in stars, including our sun. The atoms that are fused result in the stars’ power. The atoms utilized in fusion reactors are:
- Deuterium – a heavy hydrogen form abundantly present in seawater
- Tritium – a heavier and rarer form of hydrogen
Thankfully, tritium can be made from lithium-6. However, to successfully fuse these two atoms, a fairly high amount of tritium is required.
Challenges that are faced by nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion faces a number of technical challenges and continuously remains under development. However, the process’s biggest challenge is its fuel requirement, i.e., tritium. While we have mentioned that it can be made from lithium-6, it is a very rare isotope. And according to ScientificAmerican.com, approximately 2 kilograms of lithium-6 are required to create 1 kilogram of tritium.
Now, the conventional approach of sourcing lithium-6 involves utilizing mercury, which is a highly toxic metal that results in significant environmental harm. The process has been prohibited in the US since 1963. Other methods that don’t utilize mercury do exist, but are expensive and less efficient.
Thankfully, Sarbajit Banerjee, a chemistry professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and his team discovered an eco-friendly and safer method of extracting the lithium-6 required to make fuel for nuclear fusion reactors. The new method doesn’t require toxic mercury, contrary to traditional methods. The best part? The team discovered it completely by accident.
Discovering the solution by accident
The team was working on an unrelated project in Texas, which focused on creating membranes for purifying water that surfaces in oil and gas fracking operations. The membranes were made from the team’s patented material called zeta vanadium oxide. Within these membranes are one-dimensional nanoscale tunnels, which they discovered could capture lithium ions and even separate lithium-6 from lithium-7.
According to the team, after 25 four-hour cycles, this method achieved a suitable fuel level for nuclear fusion. A bonus of the membrane is that it changes color (yellow to dark green) as more lithium ions are trapped. The team reversed the polarity to remove the trapped ions from the tunnels and back into the water.
“This method seems to have excellent separation, which is very promising. However, the next question is scalability. The key problem for such methods is driving the cost down enough to make them cost-effective.” – Norbert K. Wegrzynowski, a physicist at the University of Bristol in England
While Banarjee admits that the process is an underdeveloped proof of concept, the process’s efficiency is comparable to others nonetheless. The team believes they will achieve improved results within six months or so. The future of renewable energy could look a lot different thanks to this process, as nuclear fusion could be green soon. Many other countries, such as China, are already broadening their nuclear energy horizons.