China Converts Thorium to Uranium in Molten Salt Reactor

Longtime Slashdot reader hackingbear reports that the South China Morning Post, referencing Chinese state media, reveals a significant breakthrough by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the Gobi Desert. They have successfully achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion in a molten salt reactor, marking the first instance of obtaining experimental data on thorium operations. This process transforms thorium-232 into uranium-233, potentially providing a nearly limitless source of nuclear energy, as thorium is more abundant than uranium. A single mine in Inner Mongolia could supply enough thorium to power China for over 1,000 years.

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