Only a factor of 3 to 4 is specific to thorium, just because it is more abundant than uranium by this factor.Ĭlaim 2: Thorium did not get a chance in the nuclear energy development because it is not usable for military purposes It is also achievable in the uranium-plutonium cycle. The claimed factor 400: A factor of 100 is due to the breeder technology. Because these technologies have almost globally fallen into disrepute, it cannot be excluded that the more neutral term thorium is currently also used to disguise an intended reintroduction of these problematic techniques. It may be sometimes confusing that in the nuclear vocabulary every conventional reactor breeds, but less than it uses (and therefore it is not called a breeder reactor).)įor that reason, the use of thorium presupposes the use of breeder and reprocessing technology. (A breeder reactor is a reactor in which more fissile material can be harvested from spent nuclear fuel than present in the original fresh fuel elements. It can, however, be transformed in breeder reactors into fissile uranium-233 (U-233), just like non-fissile U-238 (99.3% of natural uranium) can be transformed in a breeder reactor to fissile plutonium. Thorium itself is not a fissile material. For that reason, we examine here the claims of thorium proponents.Ĭlaim 1: The use of thorium expands the availability of nuclear fuel by a factor 400 These claims should be submitted to a scientific fact check. Over the past decade, a group of globally active nuclear proponents is recommending thorium as fuel for a safe and affordable nuclear power technology without larger waste and proliferation problems. Distinctive is the highly penetrating gamma radiation from its decay-chain (thallium-208 (Tl-208): 2.6 MeV compared to gamma radiation from Cs-137: 0.66 MeV). There are currently hardly any technical applications. It belongs to the group of actinides, is around 3 to 4 times more abundant than uranium and is radioactive (half-life of Th-232 as starter of the thorium decay-chain is 14 billion years with alpha-decay). Thorium (Th) is a heavy metal of atomic number 90 (uranium has 92). Thus development of a thorium fuel cycle without effective denaturation of bred fissile materials is irresponsible. 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. Concerning safety and waste disposal there are no convincing arguments in comparison to uranium fuel. It is 3 to 4 times more abundant than uranium. It can only be transformed into fissile uranium-233 using breeder and reprocessing technology. Thorium itself is, however, not a fissile material. Thorium is currently described by several nuclear proponents as a better alternative to uranium fuel.
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