this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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Thorium reactors can use their own waste as fuel.
Not only their own waste, but other radionucleotides - it's very impressive. I'd love to see a crash program to develop a modular thorium reactor that could eat this stuff.
That's not what that word means
Kind of like humans.
They can use a part of their waste again as fuel. Therefore, they are a bit more efficient with their fuel. But they still require fuel and produce waste.
Until recently I thought that human waste wasn't used for fertilizer, but I learned that it is. The water treatment plant separates the solids out, composts them, and then it's sold as "biosolids" to spray on the crop fields.
Let this be your reminder to wash your veggies before eating them!
Composting kills bacteria and parasites when done properly. You should still wash your veggies, but composed human waste is wildly different from non composted human waste.