Thorium may sound like something out of a Marvel comic book, but the radioactive metal could provide a very real, renewable energy source.
Chinese scientists have been working on a molten salt nuclear power plant using thorium for years. They even created a prototype reactor in 2021, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The plan is to have a "safer, greener" power station up and running by 2025 in the Gobi Desert, where the small, experimental reactor is located, per Interesting Engineering.
Thorium plants are appealing because they don't need water for cooling. They transfer heat and make electricity with the help of liquid salt. Thorium is also more abundant than commonly used uranium, which isn't needed in the operation, as noted by the South China Morning Post.
Safety might be among the biggest wins.
"Moving away from the water cooling model, this design significantly reduces the chances of meltdowns," IE's Kapil Kajal wrote.
Nuclear power is appealing because it can provide reliable energy without heat-trapping air pollution. There are around 440 reactors in more than 30 countries. These fission plants produce about 9% of the planet's electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Fission reactions create nuclear waste, which can linger for decades. And meltdowns, while rare, can be catastrophic. Developmental fusion reactors combine elements instead of splitting them to create energy. They don't create long-lasting waste, per the IAEA.
Experts are working to stabilize a reliable fusion reactor, with breakthroughs happening in China, the U.S., and elsewhere.
Thorium offers another alternative. But there are hurdles to overcome. U.S. experts were researching it in the 1960s when an expensive effort was abandoned after about a decade, as a Stanford report notes.
The IAEA said it can be hard to handle and expensive to mine, but China's prototype seems to have provided its experts with an onus to continue.
The Post offers a descriptive visualization for how the process works: "Molten salt carrying thorium fuel enters the reactor core through pipes to undergo a chain reaction. After the temperature rises, it flows out the other side and transfers heat to the molten salt without thorium that is circulating in a separate loop.
"The hot but non-radioactive molten salt then flows into the electricity plant next to the reactor" to drive a turbine. More than 80% of spent fuel can be recycled, with the rest of the waste "solidified into glass" and stored underground in the desert, all per the Post.
The report notes that compact models could be used to power ships and military vehicles. It's part of an effort that ramps up through 2035, when China plans to have 150 advanced reactors. The U.S. has 93 reactors, for reference.
A nuclear innovation that is reliable and inexpensive could eliminate much of the planet-warming gases that medical experts link to serious health problems, such as asthma and even cancer risks.
"Thorium may become one of those" technologies, Clément Hill, section head at the IAEA, said in the agency report.
In the meantime, advanced tech such as heat pump water heaters can already help you cut pollution and save hundreds of dollars a year on energy costs. And you don't need to go all the way to the Gobi Desert, as the units are available at local home improvement stores. There are also tax incentives — and free, online help to secure them — to cover some of the cost.
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