Four patents were recently issued involving methods for the extraction of thorium from various ores, including coal.  This is exciting news for an industry that is trying to establish the infrastructure necessary to keep growing and moving forward to commercial viability.  The ability to extract thorium from coal and coal byproducts is particularly exciting considering the large amounts of coal byproducts currently available that utilities are struggling to determine uses for. See Magic Number for more information on thorium fueled nuclear technology.