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    Thorium BHP

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    Thorium BHP

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    4 views7 pages

    Thorium BHP

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    jseojin1828

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 7

    Thorium

    90

    Th
    Thorium
    232.0381

    Introduction
    Thorium is an actinide silvery metal, it was discovered by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish
    scientist in 1828. He named it after the Norse god of thunder, Thor.
    Thorium is actually very common in the Earth’s crust, it is about as common as the element
    lead.

    Stellar Nucleosynthesis:
    All the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were created in dying stars.
    The heaviest elements require a high mass star (red supergiant) to go supernova.
    Supernova provide the extreme temperatures and pressures required for fusion of lighter
    elements in heavier elements. This natural process produces all of the elements up to
    Californium, which is number 98 on the periodic table (Helmenstine). The abundance of
    elements generally follows the trend that there are less heavy elements in the Universe and
    more of the lighter elements
    (Astronoo). Thorium is number 90, so
    there is not that much around. On
    Earth there is approximately 6,355,000
    metric tonnes (World Nuclear
    Association). (the found gold is estimated at 171 300 tonnes, with 52 000 tonnes yet to be
    mined (Prior 2013))
    Supernova image: icr.org

    Chart showing Relative abundance of chemical elements in the Universe. Z is the atomic
    number of the element.

    Where is it found?
    Map showing reserves of thorium by country (mapchart.net) (Data from World Nuclear
    Association)

    Current uses of Thorium


    It is currently used in heat resistant ceramics and high-quality glass lenses.
    Thorium is also used in alloys with magnesium for aircraft engines, where it is light-weight
    and strong.
    redshift.autodesk.com

    Civilization and Energy


    use.
    As civilization has advanced,
    major thresholds in
    development have been
    accompanied by increased
    usage of energy resources.
    Coal and steam power fueled the industrial revolution. The internal combustion engine
    running on petroleum, enabled advances in transportation, urban sprawl and trade. A
    hunter-gatherer using fire, uses 40 000 KJ of energy per day, a person in a modern
    developed country uses 25 times
    more, about
    1 000 000 KJ per day. All used for
    heating, lighting, transport, food
    production, manufacture of
    materials in housing and
    infrastructure, etc.

    Research.umn.edu

    Thorium Nuclear Reactors


    Thorium is radioactive and can be used to make nuclear power. This is similar to how
    uranium is used to fuel nuclear power plants. Thorium reactors, so far, have been in the
    experimental stage of development.
    After World War 2 uranium nuclear power became the only type of nuclear power because
    using uranium had the dual advantage of providing power and material for nuclear bombs.
    According to chemicool.com “1 ton of mined thorium can produce as much energy as 200
    tons of mined uranium”
    Apparently, thorium nuclear reactors will
    lose their dangerous radioactivity in only
    400 – 500 years (once decommissioned)
    compared to thousands of years for a
    uranium reactor.
    There are other reasons Thorium has not
    become the Nuclear Fuel of choice. Thorium needs to have Uranium or plutonium mixed
    with it, to get it going. New Infrastructure would need to be built to take the different fuel.
    India, China and Russia currently have plans to see if thorium powerplants are commercially
    viable. According to the Minerals Education Coalition: “More energy is available in the
    Earth’s thorium supply than in all of the uranium and fossil fuels combined.”

    Advantages of Nuclear power


    Nuclear power saves lives, according to NASA (Pushker and Hansen): “Nuclear power
    prevented an average of over 1.8 million net deaths worldwide between 1971-2009”
    These 1.8 million are the deaths that would have occurred with Nuclear power’s
    alternatives; fossil Fuels and other sources of energy. Fossil fuels kill hundreds of thousands
    of people each year with indoor and outdoor air pollution, mining accidents and silicosis of
    miners’ lungs.
    Nuclear power’s main advantage is that it does not produce carbon dioxide gas. Nuclear
    power does not burn anything, unlike fossil fuels. When fossil fuels (Oil, Coal and Gas) burn
    they release vast quantities of CO2, which is the main contributor to climate change. AKA
    the global warming gas.
    Disadvantages of Nuclear power
    Radioactivity is the disadvantage of nuclear power. Radioactivity damages living tissue,
    causing cancer, and altering genetics.
    Currently Nuclear waste is not disposed of correctly (in the USA) and is just stockpiled
    around the powerplants.

    Conclusion
    Thorium could possibly provide us (humanity) with a lot of cheap, clean safe energy, which
    we need in our daily lives.
    Thorium could be one of the fuels of the future!
    Jon Thorns

    Mr. Thorns

    Grade 8 BHP

    2020 – 10 – 19

    Works Cited

    “Abundance of the Chemical Elements — Astronoo.” www.Astronoo.Com, 20 Oct. 2013,

    www.astronoo.com/en/articles/abundance-of-the-elements.html. Accessed 19 Oct.

    2020.

    Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "How Many Elements Can Be Found Naturally?"

    ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/how-many-elements-found-naturally-

    606636.

    Pushker, Kharecha, and James Hansen. “Coal and Gas Are Far More Harmful than Nuclear

    Power – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.” Climate Change: Vital Signs of the

    Planet, NASA, 5 Nov. 2015, climate.nasa.gov/news/903/coal-and-gas-are-far-more-

    harmful-than-nuclear-power/.

    Krzyzaniak, John, and Nicholas R. Brown. “Fact-Check: Five Claims about Thorium Made by

    Andrew Yang.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 18 Dec. 2019,

    thebulletin.org/2019/12/fact-check-five-claims-about-thorium-made-by-andrew-

    yang/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.


    Prior, Ed. “How Much Gold Is There in the World?” BBC News, 1 Apr. 2013,

    www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21969100. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.

    Ross, Rachel. “Facts About Thorium.” LiveScience, Purch, 28 Feb. 2017,

    www.livescience.com/39686-facts-about-thorium.html

    "Thorium." Chemicool Periodic Table. Chemicool.com. 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 11/26/2018

    https://www.chemicool.com/elements/thorium.html

    “Thorium.” Minerals Education Coalition,

    mineralseducationcoalition.org/elements/thorium/.

    “Thorium.” Nuclear Power in Canada - World Nuclear Association, Feb. 2017, www.world-

    nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/thorium.aspx.

    “Thorium - World Nuclear Association.” World-Nuclear.Org, 2017,

    world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/thorium.aspx.

    “World - Simple - MapChart.” Map Chart, 2019, mapchart.net/world.html. Make your own

    custom Map of the World, Europe, United States, UK, and more.

    All other images from Pixabay.com

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