November 27, 2013

While the ongoing debate over the future of fossil fuels and renewables is unlikely to diminish any time soon, engineering research into an energy source named after a Norse God may soon provide a much-needed alternative. And although it may have been discovered nearly 200 years ago, there are a growing band of scientists, engineers and government officials who believe that the time has come to for Thorium to take its place in the discussion.

According to the BBC, the radioactive element is already being seen as a safer alternative to the existing use of uranium in nuclear reactors, with a number of engineering research and development projects across the world already engaged in assessing its energy potential. Thorium was originally found in Norway in 1828, and was named after the legendary god of thunder by the Swedish chemist who first identified its properties, although its use up until now has been sporadic.

Increasing energy options
However, recent comments made by Hans Blix, the former United Nations weapons inspector, have indicated that there are a number of parties interested in developing thorium as a future replacement for uranium, with a series of tests in Norway currently underway. According to the news source, Blix has publicly offered his support for the potential fuel source, with the former Swedish foreign minister confident that it could play a major role in increasing the options available to operators of nuclear generating facilities.

"I'm a lawyer not a scientist but in my opinion we should be trying our best to develop the use of thorium," said Blix. "I realize there are many obstacles to be overcome but the benefits would be great. I am told that thorium will be safer in reactors - and it is almost impossible to make a bomb out of thorium. These are very major factors as the world looks for future energy supplies."

While Blix's enthusiasm has been welcomed by scientists already involved in thorium testing, the element itself may not be familiar to the general public. Over the years, it has been used mainly as a component in engineering tools such as aircraft engines and rockets, and while it has been proven to be an effective radiation shield, it has often been passed over in favor of lead. However, its commercial applications have also been overlooked, despite the fact that it is three times more abundant than tin and is believed to be as common as lead.

At the same time, the actual distribution of thorium is relatively unknown, with recent research by the OECD identifying Australia and India as countries that have large amounts of the dense material, with studies showing that the latter sits on top of the world's biggest reserves. The British government, for example, is keen to explore the opportunities for alternative nuclear fuels, and scientists from the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory have recently been involved in engineering research relating to the development of a thorium-based reactor in India and, somewhat ironically, Norway.

"There is lots of thorium in the world, very well distributed all over the globe." said Oystein Asphjell, chief executive of Thor Energy, which is carrying out tests on the chemical element. "In operations, in a reactor, it has some chemical and physical properties that make it really superior to uranium as well. On the waste side, we don't generate long lived waste."

Power of the gods
If that is the case, then the benefits of using thorium could be enormous. Scientists in China are already using it as the basis for a next-generation reactor, while there have been some advances made by researchers in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States in using it as a substitute fuel in water-cooled reactors. According to Smart Planet, Carlo Rubbia, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1984, has described thorium as having "absolute pre-eminence over all other fuels," with the former director of CERN stating that it could reverse an image of nuclear energy that has been affected by recent events in Japan.

The problem is that there have been billions of dollars invested in uranium-based engineering research, and if the fossil fuel industry is known to be backed by people with long arms and deep pockets, then it is probably reasonable to assume that the uranium can count on similar support.

Bearing that in mind, engineers have also shown interest in developing thorium as an alternative power source in motor vehicles. According to Mashable, a U.S. company called Laser Power Systems have been working on a proof-of-conceptfor a car engine that could be powered by the chemical, with sources at the firm noting that the engineering resources required to build a thorium-powered machine could be available to the automobile industry in the near future. However, the fact that the element is radioactive has, to date, overshadowed the fact that it packs a serious punch in terms of energy generation.

"We're building this to power the rest of the world," said doctor Charles Stevens, the CEO of the company, in an interview with the news source. "Cars are not our primary interest. The radiation that we develop off of one of these things can be shielded by a single sheet off of aluminum foil. You will get more radiation from one of those dental X-rays than this."

Theoretical versus practical
Despite this, there are those that believe that investing engineering resources into thorium is not a cost-effective solution. According to Dr. Nils Bohmer, a nuclear physicist employed by an environmental NGO in Norway, diverting attention to an unproven energy source is nothing more than a distraction to alleviate concerns over climate change and potential fossil fuel divestment.

"The advantages of thorium are purely theoretical," he told BBC News. "The technology development is decades in the future. Instead I think we should focus on developing renewable technology - for example offshore wind technology - which I think has a huge potential to develop."

With that in mind, only time will tell which energy source eventually claims the title of fuel-of-the-future, but if thorium is proved to be as powerful as the god it was named after, then it may be just what the world is looking for.