This isotope, in turn, transforms into U‑233, which is an excellent fissile material. This new isotope emits an electron and an antineutrino within minutes to become protactinium-233 (Pa-233). Th-232 is of interest for nuclear power generation because it can easily absorb neutrons and transforms into Th-233. The rare earth phosphate mineral, monazite, contains the most thorium – up to about 12% thorium phosphate 4 Monazite is found in igneous and other rocks and the world’s monazite resources are estimated at about 16 million tonnes, of which 12 Mt are found in heavy mineral sand deposits on the south and east coasts of India.
The amount found in the United States, for example, could meet that country’s energy needs for a thousand years without the need for the enrichment required for uranium-based fuels. Indeed, its main isotope, Th-232, is about four times more abundant than U‑238 3 and as abundant as lead. It is a slightly radioactive metal found in rocks and soils and is quite abundant in the Earth’s crust. Thorium (Th) was discovered in 1828 by the Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius, who named it after Thor, the Norse god of thunder. This waste also contains a type of plutonium that can be used to make nuclear weapons. The U‑235 contained in uranium must therefore be concentrated and then enriched in complex and expensive processes.Īnd that is not all: the fission of U‑235 produces highly radioactive waste that must be handled carefully and then stored in a safe place for extremely long periods of time. Although this element is abundant, less than 1% of the uranium on Earth is U‑235, the isotope of uranium that is fissile. The problem, however, is that more than 400 nuclear power plants in operation around the world use mainly uranium (U) as fuel. These types of reactors can reach very high temperatures, which greatly increases the efficiency of electricity production. The metal could be used in molten salt reactors, one of the new generation designs in which the reactor coolant and the fuel itself are a mixture of hot molten salts. For power generation, however, thorium could have real advantages and several countries are investing in this chemical element. The idea of using thorium as a nuclear fuel was largely abandoned in the past because, traditionally, nuclear power was linked to military nuclear research and development – and both uranium and plutonium were used to make atomic bombs.
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