GoKawiilLicube to pitch lithium-6 purification tech at TechCrunch Disrupt
Licube, a startup licensing lithium separation technology from Hirosaki University in Japan, is presenting at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield. The company aims to purify lithium-6, a rare isotope that fusion reactors need to breed tritium fuel on site, since it makes up only about 7.5% of naturally occurring lithium. CEO Yohei Kiguchi told TechCrunch he expects the lithium-6 market to reach $50 billion by 2040 if fusion power becomes commercially viable.