California Science and Engineering (CALSEC) of Irvine, CA, has announced that it plans to develop and produce molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) without a nuclear reactor.
The company has developed a device it calls a "magnetic molytron" that uses a nonradioactive molybdenum raw material called molybdenite ore, which is open-pit mined in Colorado and Nevada. Producing the isotope in this way costs only 5% of the current method of using weapons-grade uranium-235 in a nuclear reactor, the company said.
CALSEC made its announcement at a conference sponsored by the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration in Boston on September 3. It is requesting federal funds for a six-month design study of the device.
