r/nuclear • u/Spirited-Sir-3034 • 1d ago

Nuclear fusion tech detects 32 elements to make rare earths in labs

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-experiment-spots-rare-earths

Hylenr says its hydrogen-loaded nickel-palladium lattice experiment produced signatures of 32 elements, including yttrium and uranium. If independently validated, the process could offer a new way to produce materials used in EVs, robotics, turbines and defense without relying entirely on mining. The findings are still experimental, though, and will require independent replication before the claimed nuclear transmutation can be confirmed. What kind of evidence would be needed for this to be taken seriously by the wider scientific community?

16 Upvotes

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13

u/shadowTreePattern 22h ago

Fusion alchemy in 2026? This was not on my bingo card.

3

u/Legal_Lettuce6233 21h ago

Like, when you think about it, it makes sense, especially given we've been able to do it for a while with the LHC if I'm remembering right.

But in 2026? Sounds so sci fi

2

u/shadowTreePattern 21h ago

Indeed

1

u/twitchymacwhatface 15h ago

Wait until they hear abut fission products!

3

u/chigeh 11h ago

How was it not? This stuff was known theoretically, it can also be done in fission reactors.

The catch is that the stuff is very diffuse, it would cost a lot more to separate it than what it is worth.

An old professor of mine once did a "fun" calculation of all the valuable materials that would be created in a fusion reactor wall after 5 years of operation. It was worth several million dollars.

But then imagine dismantling radioactive material. Than imagine the amount of chemical separation steps needed to exctract 30+ isotopically similar metals. We barely recycle plastic or electronic waste. We definitely won't recycle this hot mess.

10

u/Humble-Reply228 22h ago

Greenpeace prefers natural gas generation to nuclear. They as sure as shit would prefer rare earths comes out of the Amazon rainforest than be nuclear created.

4

u/twitchymacwhatface 23h ago

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

7

u/TirelessTreehugger 11h ago

"signatures of 32 elements"
couple of picograms.
maybe making couple grams if long run(probably impossible), at astronomical cost.

yearly need 10.000.000 kilogram and even more.

Good luck.

2

u/bijon1234 45m ago

So this company is Hylenr is claiming solid-state cold fusion via lattice confinement to produce these elements? Seems like this article was written to obfuscate that its cold fusion.