Thorium "fuel"
The use of thorium instead
of uranium is sometimes
considered to be the future
of nuclear power. Thorium is
more abundant in the Earth's
crust than uranium, and a
thorium reactor is said to
produce less dangerous
radioactive waste. Thorium
is a radioactive metal and
is not fissionable. To use
it as energy source,
thorium has to be converted
into fissile uranium-233
by means of neutron
radiation in a nuclear
reactor.
Use of thorium as a
commercial energy source
requires the construction
and the flawless operation
of a breeding cycle. In
addition to severe technical
difficulties, fundamental
problems prevented
realization of a functioning
thorium-uranium-233 breeding
cycle. Development of
such a breeding cycle in the
USA was discontinued decades
ago.
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The delusion of Thorium
The US tried for 50 years to
create thorium reactors,
without success. The long
effort cost billions of
dollars, with billions more
still required to dispose of
the highly toxic, highly
fissionable wastes, which
are an efficient fuel for
nuclear weapons. By Dr.
Helen Caldicott, Independent Australia,
September 4, 2019
Thorium - a better fuel for
nuclear technology? Thorium is currently
described by several nuclear
proponents as a better
alternative to uranium fuel.
Thorium
itself is, however, not a
fissile material. It can
only be transformed into
fissile uranium-233 using
breeder and reprocessing
technology.
Concerning safety and
waste disposal there are no
convincing arguments in
comparison to uranium fuel.
A severe disadvantage is
that
uranium-233 bred from
thorium can be used by
terror organisations
for the construction of
simple but high-impact nuclear
explosives. Thus development
of a thorium fuel cycle
without effective
denaturation of bred fissile
materials is irresponsible.
By Dr. Rainer Moormann,
translated from the German
for Nuclear Monitor,
March 1, 2018
Arguments for thorium have little merit
but refuse to go away
By Jim Green, Nuclear Monitor,
April 2015
Thorium: the wonder fuel that wasn't By
Robert Alvarez, Bulletin
of the Atomic Scientists, May 11, 2014
Thorium fuel: No panacea for nuclear
power
A
Fact Sheet Produced by the Institute for
Energy and Environmental Research and
Physicians for Social Responsibility,
July 2009
Ten myths about thorium as a nuclear
energy solution Beyond Nuclear,
2009
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