Nuclear waste could help us get fusion going
Here's some cool science news: researchers are suggesting we could use old nuclear waste to make tritium, a fundamental ingredient for fusion.
Terence Tarnowsky from Los Alamos National Lab is set to share this idea at the ACS Fall 2025 conference.
The plan? Use accelerators on spent reactor fuel to create a steady supply of tritium—helping us get closer to clean fusion energy.
Fusion and nuclear waste issues
Right now, there's barely enough tritium in the world for large-scale fusion, and nuclear waste keeps piling up (about 2,000 metric tons more every year).
This proposal aims to solve both issues by turning that waste into something useful.
The process even uses molten lithium salt to keep radiation in check.
Tarnowsky says making this work will need teamwork from both public and private sectors—but if it happens, it could be a real game-changer for energy and the environment.