Climate Change Solution - Thorium Power

[Apocalypse4Real]

This idea was articulated in an editorial on July 16 by an Arctic climate observer.

Thorium power:

See: Solutions for the real problem of climate change

http://www.superiortelegram.com/event/article/id/78834/

[ccgwebmaster]

I always feel skeptical when I see articles extolling a long list of benefits and no problems or downsides. For example the Wikipedia article on thorium fuel cycle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium_fuel_cycle) seems to suggest under disadvantages that there are still long lived radioactive waste products produced.

One of note seems to be protractinium:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protactinium#In_nuclear_reactors

I argue the original article is at the very least a little biased and misleading?

Two major protactinium isotopes, 231Pa and 233Pa, are produced from thorium in nuclear reactors; both are undesirable and are usually removed, thereby adding complexity to the reactor design and operation. In particular, 232Th via (n,2n) reactions produces 231Th which quickly (half-life 25.5 hours) decays to 231Pa. The last isotope, while not a transuranic waste, has a long half-life of 32,760 years and is a major contributor to the long term radiotoxicity of spent nuclear fuel.

It wouldn't be my first choice for sustainable power in any event as it still relies upon essentially finite resources and we can do a lot better than that.

[wili]

"I argue the original article is at the very least a little biased and misleading?"

a little?

Thorium has been the energy source of the future for a long time, and probably always will be.