Aiming towards thorium...

[Externet]

Hi all.   A nuclear energy source substitute on recent news...  How real is it among dozens of same style promising technology ?

--->  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14447257/China-discovers-limitless-energy-source-power-country.html

[John Cuthber]

The Daily Mail is not a newspaper.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail#Wikipedia_determination_of_unreliability

Is there another source for the story?

[toucana]

1 hour ago, John Cuthber said:

The Daily Mail is not a newspaper.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail#Wikipedia_determination_of_unreliability

Is there another source for the story?

There are a number of other sources for this news item, some of them pay-walled, but this one seems to be  both accessible and reasonably accurate

https://discoveryalert.com.au/china-discovers-limitless-energy-source-thorium-sparking-global-interest-2025/

Basically the Chinese authorities claim to have found a 1 million tonne deposit of thorium at the Bayan Obo Mining District complex located in Inner Mongolia, not far from Baotou City ( 包头市 ). They claim that this could supply China’s enegy needs for the next 60,000 years. The discovery is said to be part of an extensive  geological survey that has mapped 233 thorium-rich zones across the country.

Thorium (Th - 90) is a naturally occurring radioactive element that offers a much denser energy yield - up to 500 times more than conventional Uranium 232.  Thorium fuel can be used in tandem with an advanced molten-salt-reactor (MSR) technology.

In MSRs, thorium is blended with lithium fluoride and heated to approximately 1400°C. This molten mixture is then bombarded with neutrons, triggering nuclear transmutation that leads to the creation of uranium-233, a fissile isotope capable of sustaining a continuous nuclear reaction.

Quote

 

The advantages of Thorium Molten-Salt-Reactors are said to be:

*  A dramatic reduction in meltdown risks

*  Enhanced efficiency in energy generation

*  Lower volumes of radioactive waste compared to traditional reactors

*  The potential for factory-fabricated small-scale units that could be deployed in remote areas

Additionally, thorium's use in these reactors supports a potential leap forward in sustainability, reinforcing global efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.

 

One of the foremost challenges lies in the extraction and processing of thorium. The complex nature of mining and refining thorium requires state-of-the-art technology and significant capital investment.

 

Edited Thursday at 03:40 PM by toucana
Corrected 'Thorium Th - 90'

[swansont]

12 minutes ago, toucana said:

Thorium (Th - 60) is a naturally occurring radioactive element

Thorium has 90 protons, so it’s not Th-60

 

“experts estimate it contains up to 500 times more energy potential than conventional uranium-232”

Conventional fission uses U-235. U-232 has a half-life of 69 years, and I’m not sure it’s fissile. I don’t think anyone uses it.

 

It’s curious they mention 233 sites, when Th-233 is one of the isotopes you would find. Could be right, or they misunderstood what finding ²³³Th sites means, especially if the text is displayed as “233 Th sites”

[toucana]

I had already corrected that typo before you posted.

[swansont]

3 hours ago, toucana said:

I had already corrected that typo before you posted.

Just to note, Th-90 is the wrong notation. The number in that format should be the atomic mass number, e.g. Th-233, U-235, O-16

 

[John Cuthber]

6 hours ago, toucana said:

Basically the Chinese authorities claim to have found a 1 million tonne deposit of thorium at the Bayan Obo Mining District

That's nice for them. But not really important.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_thorium_resources
Plenty of countries have large stocks of it.
(Even the UK has a bit)