Courtesy of TechCrunch

Hexium: Solusi Masa Depan untuk Memenuhi Pasokan Bahan Bakar Fusi Langka

To address the future fuel supply problem for fusion energy by producing lithium-6 using advanced laser technology.

15 Apr 2025, 20.00 WIB

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Ikhtisar 15 Detik

Hexium berfokus pada pemisahan isotop lithium untuk mendukung industri fusion.
Tritium, bahan bakar penting untuk reaktor fusion, memerlukan lithium-6 yang saat ini langka.
Teknologi AVLIS yang digunakan Hexium memiliki potensi untuk meningkatkan pasokan bahan bakar untuk reaktor fusion.

United States - Fusion startups are striving to create power plants that produce more energy than they consume, but they face significant challenges, including the supply of tritium fuel. Tritium requires a specific isotope of lithium, which is currently in short supply. Charlie Jarrott and Jacob Peterson, formerly of Focused Energy, recognized this issue and founded Hexium to address it.

Hexium has secured Rp 156.23 miliar ($9.5 m) illion in seed funding and Rp 41.11 miliar ($2.5 m) illion in a credit facility to develop their technology. They use a method called atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS), originally perfected by the Department of Energy in the 1980s for uranium, to separate lithium isotopes. Hexium's lasers are tuned with picometer precision to interact specifically with lithium-6, which is needed for tritium production.

Hexium plans to build a pilot plant and eventually scale their process in a modular fashion, allowing for good economics at a small scale. Their approach not only aims to supply lithium-6 for fusion companies but also to sell lithium-7 to conventional nuclear reactors. This innovative solution could play a crucial role in the future of fusion energy.

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Analisis Kami: Fokus Hexium pada masalah pasokan lithium-6 adalah langkah yang sangat strategis dan sering diabaikan oleh pelaku industri fusi. Jika mereka berhasil mengamankan dan menskalakan proses ini, mereka akan menjadi tulang punggung industri fusi yang sangat penting, memungkinkan kemajuan teknologi fusi yang selama ini tertahan oleh masalah bahan bakar.

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Analisis Ahli:

Maria Zuber (Astrofisikawan dan Wakil Presiden MIT): Memecahkan masalah pasokan bahan bakar adalah kunci utama bagi keberhasilan energi fusi komersial. Pendekatan inovatif Hexium untuk pemisahan isotop lithium-6 dapat menjadi game changer dalam rantai pasokan bahan bakar fusi.

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What's Next: Hexium dan perusahaan serupa kemungkinan akan menjadi pemain penting dalam ekosistem energi fusi yang berkembang, mengatasi masalah pasokan bahan bakar dan mempercepat komersialisasi teknologi reaktor fusi di masa depan.

Referensi:
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/15/fusion-power-has-a-fuel-problem-hexium-has-a-laser-powered-solution/