Warning: Future Fusion Facility Contains Coconuts
The ITER machine is based on the "tokamak" concept of magnetic plasma confinement, in which the fusion fuel is contained in a doughnut-shaped vessel. With a height of 29 metres and a diametre of 28 metres, ITER will be the world's largest tokamak. Photo courtesy of the ITER Organization
The first commercially viable Tokamak—Russian for "toroidal chamber with magnetic coils"—fusion power electrical facility is using coconut-shell charcoal as an absorption mechanism for the helium and hydrogen byproducts made during the thermonuclear reaction.
Established by a slew of nations, the ITER facility—located near Cadarache in the south of France—is slated to begin fusion experiments in 2018.
According to an H+ Magazine article, the coconuts will be used as a cooling vacuum, which will separate the plasma from surrounding walls, allowing fusion to proceed without being hindered by air molecules.
Read the H+ Magazine article here.
The following video clip explains how the ITER is being constructed.