Description of venture idea

Purchase bulk lithium, separate Li6 from Li7, sell the Li7 at a discount on the regular lithium market, sell the Li6 at a premium to the military, or fusion companies, or maybe Kairos Power.

Another motivation for this enrichment comes from John Ball’s work on nuclear weapons proliferation risk from ARC-class reactors:

It is also found that Li-6 enrichment strongly suppresses fissile breeding, providing a novel motivation for lithium enrichment in fusion systems.

Market needs this venture would address

  • Need for Li6 for military and fusion applications, as well as Small Modular Reactors
  • Need for more affordable Li7 for battery market

Technical capabilities this venture might leverage

2023-10-24 Yuan Yang - Separating Stable Isotopes by Liquid Centrifugation

Business model

Sells various grades of lithium on the wholesale markets

Team

None

Outstanding risks

  • Need economical technology to separate Li6 from Li7
  • Export control laws

References

2023-10-10 Mike Short