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How old is thorium?

Thorium was discovered in 1828 by the Norwegian amateur mineralogist Morten Thrane Esmark and identified by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who named it after Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Its first applications were developed in the late 19th century.
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Why are we not using thorium?

Ironically, it's the difficulty of making weapons that explains why thorium designs have yet to become commercially viable. The roots of nuclear power lie in the race to make atomic bombs, prompting many countries to adopt uranium- and plutonium-based designs.
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Why don't we use thorium instead of uranium?

Thorium fuel is a bit harder to prepare.

Thorium dioxide melts at 550 degrees higher temperatures than traditional Uranium dioxide, so very high temperatures are required to produce high-quality solid fuel. Additionally, Th is quite inert, making it difficult to chemically process.
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Is thorium more rare than uranium?

Thorium is three times more abundant in nature than uranium. All but a trace of the world's thorium exists as the useful isotope, which means it does not require enrichment.
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What is the rarest radioactive material on earth?

Astatine is the rarest naturally occurring element. The total amount of astatine in the Earth's crust (quoted mass 2.36 × 1025 grams) is estimated by some to be less than one gram at any given time.
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From History to Reactor - THORIUM 232

Can thorium reactors be weaponized?

Can 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.
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What's wrong with thorium reactors?

The uranium 233 produced in thorium reactors is contaminated with uranium 232, which is produced through several different neutron absorption pathways. Uranium 232 has a half-life of 68.9 years, and its daughter radionuclides emit intense, highly penetrating gamma rays that make the material difficult to handle.
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Which country is the largest producer of thorium in the world?

The correct answer is option 4 i.e India. ​Thorium is derived from monazite.
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Why not build thorium reactor?

Even though a conventional meltdown would be unlikely, thorium still produces harmful radiation that needs to be contained, and something could always go wrong.
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Where is thorium found in Australia?

Thorium and monazite

Heavy mineral sands deposits are found in the Murray Basin, which includes parts of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, the Eucla Basin, in South Australia and Western Australia, and the Perth Basin, in Western Australia.
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Will we ever run out of thorium?

The answer is 3 billion short tonnes or 2.700. 000.000 metric tonnes, enough to last us 40.000 years in our extreme scenario.
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Has a thorium reactor ever been built?

By 2019 two of the reactors were under construction in the Gobi desert, with completion expected around 2025. China expects to put thorium reactors into commercial use by 2030.
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What are weaknesses of thorium?

Disadvantages of thorium reactors: High start-up costs: Huge investments are needed for thorium nuclear power reactor, as it requires significant amount of testing, analysis and licensing work. Also, there is uncertainty over returns on the investments in these reactors.
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Can I touch thorium?

* Thorium Nitrate emits radioactive particles which can be breathed in or swallowed, or can penetrate the skin. * Thorium Nitrate can irritate the skin causing a rash or burning feeling on contact.
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Is thorium the fuel of the future?

Thorium as a future nuclear fuel offers a number of advantages and disadvantages compared to uranium. Not the least of these is that another fuel source would vastly increase available energy resources.
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How much thorium is in Australia?

Currently, no thorium is produced in Australia. Although HMS deposits containing monazite are currently being mined, the monazite is not recovered due to the lack of a thorium market.
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Why is thorium not used as nuclear fuel?

Thorium as a nuclear fuel. Thorium (Th-232) is not itself fissile and so is not directly usable in a thermal neutron reactor.
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Is China building a thorium reactor?

The reactor will work up from about 20% thorium fission to about 80%,” World Nuclear News reported. If successfully commissioned, the TMSR-LF1 project will become one of the world's first operational MSR reactors in decades.
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Is thorium cancerous?

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.
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Which country has the most advanced nuclear technology?

Russia. Russia is considered the nuclear superpower of the world, with the highest number of nuclear weapons.
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What color does thorium glow?

When heated in air, thorium turnings ignite and burn with a brilliant white light to produce the dioxide.
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How long does a thorium reactor last?

Using breeder reactors, known thorium and uranium resources can both generate world-scale energy for thousands of years.
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Why do we not use molten salt reactors?

Another basic problem with MSRs is that the materials used to manufacture the various reactor components will be exposed to hot salts that are chemically corrosive, while being bombarded by radioactive particles. So far, there is no material that can perform satisfactorily in such an environment.
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What is the safest nuclear reactor?

Molten-salt reactors are considered to be relatively safe because the fuel is already dissolved in liquid and they operate at lower pressures than do conventional nuclear reactors, which reduces the risk of explosive meltdowns.
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