Molten Salt Solutions

Molten Salt Solutions, LLC, founded in 2018 by Dr. John Elling, develops technology for producing essential materials for the next generation of nuclear power. The company is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was established by scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory to address critical material needs in advanced fission and fusion reactors. Dr. Elling, the CEO, has a background as a Technical Staff Member at Los Alamos National Laboratory, holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry and an MBA, providing a blend of technical and commercial expertise to guide the company.

The firm's core business revolves around the production of isotopically-enriched lithium, specifically lithium-6 and lithium-7, which are crucial for advanced molten salt reactors (MSRs) and fusion reactors. Enriched lithium-7 is vital for MSR safety by preventing the formation of radioactive tritium, while lithium-6 is used to produce tritium fuel in fusion reactors. The company is pioneering what could be the first U.S. commercial source of enriched lithium for the nuclear industry, a market currently dominated by Russia. Molten Salt Solutions employs a proprietary and efficient liquid-to-liquid extraction process, alongside countercurrent chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies, to achieve this enrichment. This method offers significant cost and safety advantages over conventional techniques.

The company's business model is focused on becoming a primary supplier to the advanced nuclear and fusion sectors. Its target clients include nuclear power companies like Kairos Power and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, as well as research institutions that require these specialized materials. Molten Salt Solutions has secured funding through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the National Science Foundation and a $3 million seed round from venture capital firms Future Ventures and True Ventures. This capital is being used to establish its first pilot production facility to scale up its commercial production of enriched lithium isotopes.

Keywords: lithium isotope enrichment, molten salt reactors, nuclear materials, fusion energy, fission energy, advanced nuclear, isotope separation, chromatography, mass spectrometry, clean energy, nuclear fuel cycle, tritium breeding, Los Alamos National Laboratory, sustainable energy, nuclear supply chain, energy security, decarbonization, chemical engineering, materials science, nuclear chemistry