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点汞成金,一年5吨!聚变公司称破解千年炼金谜题
Jin Shi Shu Ju·2025-07-23 06:59

Core Viewpoint - Marathon Fusion, a San Francisco-based fusion energy startup, claims to have developed a method to transmute mercury into gold through nuclear transmutation, potentially solving the age-old alchemical quest of turning base metals into gold [2][3]. Company Overview - Founded in 2023 by Kyle Schiller and Adam Rutkowski, Marathon Fusion aims to tackle key technological challenges in fusion power plant construction [2][3]. - The company currently employs 12 full-time staff and has secured $5.9 million in private investment along with approximately $4 million in government grants [3]. Technological Innovation - The proposed fusion process utilizes neutrons released during fusion reactions to facilitate the transmutation of mercury into gold, with an estimated annual production of about 5,000 kilograms of gold per gigawatt of power generated [2][3]. - The process involves introducing mercury-198 into the breeding blanket of a fusion reactor, where it can be converted into mercury-197, which then decays into stable gold-197 [3][4]. Market Potential - The global annual gold production is approximately 3,500 tons, and the company believes that the gold market is large enough to absorb additional supply without significantly disrupting prices [5]. - The potential revenue from gold production could double the overall revenue of fusion power plants, as the estimated market value of the gold produced would be comparable to the electricity generated [2][5]. Industry Context - The fusion industry has seen a surge in private investment, with $2.6 billion raised in the past year, bringing the total funding to $9.8 billion across 53 companies [5]. - Despite the theoretical feasibility of fusion energy, achieving net energy output remains a significant challenge, with some experts suggesting that commercial fusion power may still be decades away [5][6].