Manchester, England, United Kingdom
My research focuses on designing a cost-effective solvent extraction process for lithium isotope separation that supports future nuclear fusion fuel cycles. Current extractants used in lithium enrichment are expensive, complex, and not manufactured at sufficient volumes for large-scale applications. This project involves: -Conducting a comprehensive literature review of previous lithium enrichment techniques, exploring their principles, efficiencies, and the reasons why many are no longer feasible for modern, sustainable fusion fuel cycles. -Performing laboratory experiments to identify and test simple, cost-effective molecules that can act as effective extractants for lithium isotope enrichment. -Applying analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), titration, ICP-OES, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to analyse and characterise the resulting solutions. This work contributes to the development of viable, scalable lithium enrichment technologies critical for advancing next-generation fusion energy systems.