Q. Consider the following statements regarding thorium as a nuclear fuel:
1.Thorium is far more abundant in nature than uranium.
2.On the basis of unit mass of mined mineral, thorium can generate more energy compared to natural uranium.
3.Thorium-based nuclear fuel cycle produces less long-lived radioactive waste compared to the uranium fuel cycle.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: D
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: Thorium is estimated to be about three to four times more abundant in the Earth’s crust than uranium.
- Statement 2 is correct: Thorium has the potential to yield more usable energy per unit mass of mined material because a larger proportion of natural thorium can be converted into fissile material (U-233).
- Statement 3 is correct: The thorium fuel cycle generally produces smaller quantities of long-lived transuranic radioactive waste than the conventional uranium-plutonium cycle.
Source- IE
