San Francisco-based startup Marathon Fusion has developed a method to produce lab-created gold as a byproduct of nuclear fusion, potentially revolutionising both the energy and precious metals industries, the company announced this week.
The technology leverages nuclear transmutation, converting mercury-197—an isotope generated during fusion—into stable gold-197 over three days. While chemically identical to mined gold, the lab-created metal requires a 14-18 year "cool down" period for radioactive impurities to decay.
According to Marathon’s whitepaper, each gigawatt of fusion power generation could yield 5,000 kilograms of gold annually without compromising energy output. The process involves enriching mercury-198 isotopes to 90 percent purity, exposing them to fusion neutrons, then chemically extracting gold.
"This marks the beginning of a new Golden Age for critical minerals and energy," said Adam Rutkowski, Marathon’s CEO and former SpaceX engineer. The firm, backed by US Department of Energy grants and private investors, projects gold production could double fusion plants’ economic value.
Founded in 2023, Marathon aims to commercialise fusion energy by 2035. Critics note scaling challenges, but Rutkowski asserts the method is "pragmatically achievable" with existing reactor designs.
12-08-2025
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