Is thorium safe to mine
Safety: Compared to mining of uranium for nuclear fuel, mining thorium is considered as safer and more efficient. Also, thorium's ore monazite generally comprises significant amounts of thorium, making the element's extraction cost effective without much impact on the environment.
How much thorium is on earth
According to estimates, the Earth's upper crust contains an average of 10.5 parts per million (ppm) of thorium, compared with about 3 ppm of uranium.
What is thorium used for today
Thorium is used to make ceramics, welding rods, camera and telescope lenses, fire brick, heat resistant paint and metals used in the aerospace industry, as well as in nuclear reactions. Thorium has the potential to be used as a fuel for generating nuclear energy.
Where is thorium found
Thorium is a naturally occurring, slightly radioactive element. It is found in small amounts in most rocks, where it is about three times abundant than uranium. Thorium is relatively enriched in acid igneous rocks, especially in granites. The most common thorium mineral is monazite.
Why aren’t we using thorium
Thorium doesn't work as well as U-Pu in a fast reactor.
While U-233 an excellent fuel in the slow-neutron regime, it is between U-235 and Pu-239 in the fast spectrum. So for reactors that require excellent neutron economy (such as breed-and-burn concepts), Thorium is not ideal.
Why don’t we use thorium instead of uranium
There is, however, no relative advantage in using thorium instead of depleted uranium (DU) as a fertile fuel matrix in these reactor systems due to a higher fast-fission rate for U-238 and the fission contribution from residual U-235 in this material.
Why don’t we use thorium
Irradiated Thorium is more dangerously radioactive in the short term. The Th-U cycle invariably produces some U-232, which decays to Tl-208, which has a 2.6 MeV gamma ray decay mode. Bi-212 also causes problems. These gamma rays are very hard to shield, requiring more expensive spent fuel handling and/or reprocessing.
Why isn’t thorium used in nuclear reactors
Thorium as a nuclear fuel. Thorium (Th-232) is not itself fissile and so is not directly usable in a thermal neutron reactor.
Why is thorium worse than uranium
Like uranium, thorium absorbs neutrons, as mentioned, but unlike uranium, it does not release more neutrons to perpetuate the nuclear chain reaction. This reaction starts when a uranium atom is hit by a neutron, releasing energy that causes more neutrons to be ejected from the uranium atoms, starting the cycle again.
Will thorium replace uranium
Thorium and uranium have an interesting relationship in that they are both complements and competitors to each other. Put very simply, thorium can be used together with conventional uranium-based nuclear power generation, meaning a thriving thorium industry would not necessarily make uranium obsolete.
Why can’t thorium be weaponized
Although some wonder if thorium can be used in nuclear weapons and are concerned about the possibility of a thorium bomb, thorium actually can't be weaponized because it doesn't produce enough recoverable plutonium, which is required for building nuclear weapons.
Why is no one using thorium reactors
The reactor design is also simpler, arguably safer, and produces less radioactive waste. Ironically, it's the difficulty of making weapons that explains why thorium designs have yet to become commercially viable.
How bad is thorium
And there is research evidence that inhaling thorium dust increases the risk of lung and pancreatic cancer. Individuals exposed to thorium also have an increased risk of bone cancer because thorium may be stored in bone.
Why haven t we switched to thorium
Even though a conventional meltdown would be unlikely, thorium still produces harmful radiation that needs to be contained, and something could always go wrong. But the real reason we use uranium over thorium is a result of wartime politics.
Why thorium is a bad idea
Irradiated Thorium is more dangerously radioactive in the short term. The Th-U cycle invariably produces some U-232, which decays to Tl-208, which has a 2.6 MeV gamma ray decay mode. Bi-212 also causes problems. These gamma rays are very hard to shield, requiring more expensive spent fuel handling and/or reprocessing.
Why don t people use thorium instead of uranium
There is, however, no relative advantage in using thorium instead of depleted uranium (DU) as a fertile fuel matrix in these reactor systems due to a higher fast-fission rate for U-238 and the fission contribution from residual U-235 in this material.
Why we don’t use thorium
Irradiated Thorium is more dangerously radioactive in the short term. The Th-U cycle invariably produces some U-232, which decays to Tl-208, which has a 2.6 MeV gamma ray decay mode. Bi-212 also causes problems. These gamma rays are very hard to shield, requiring more expensive spent fuel handling and/or reprocessing.
Why isn’t thorium used instead of uranium
There is, however, no relative advantage in using thorium instead of depleted uranium (DU) as a fertile fuel matrix in these reactor systems due to a higher fast-fission rate for U-238 and the fission contribution from residual U-235 in this material.
Why don’t thorium reactors work
Thorium as a nuclear fuel. Thorium (Th-232) is not itself fissile and so is not directly usable in a thermal neutron reactor. However, it is 'fertile' and upon absorbing a neutron will transmute to uranium-233 (U-233)a, which is an excellent fissile fuel materialb.
