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Thorium as an abundant source of nuclear energy and challenges in separation science

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Published/Copyright: January 12, 2023
Radiochimica Acta
From the journal Radiochimica Acta Volume 111 Issue 4

Abstract

Today about 440 nuclear power plants, with total installed capacity of 390 GW(e) are in operation worldwide generating around 10% of global electricity which are largely fuelled by enriched uranium oxide [Nuclear Power in the World Today. https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/nuclear-power-in-the-world-today.aspx]. Thorium is 3–4 times more abundant than uranium and needs to be exploited by countries with limited stock of uranium. Historically, there have been several attempts to develop Th based reactors, but none has reached commercial scale. In recent years, High Temperature Reactor based on thorium has gained prominence for production of hydrogen with long term goal of complete carbon neutrality. However, unlike natural uranium, which contains ∼0.7% fissile 235U isotope, natural thorium does not contain any ‘fissile’ material and is made up exclusively of the ‘fertile’ 232Th which can be converted to ‘fissile’ 233U, thereby enlarging the fissile material resources. However, there is a need to develop robust closed fuel cycle to address to the challenges of high gamma dose due to the presence of decay products of 232U. It is necessary to gain more experience with promising THOREX process to achieve the desired recovery and D.F. of 233U from the irradiated 232Th. There is also scope to have a close look at some of the alternative extractants and emerging separation techniques for the reprocessing of spent Th based fuels. In view of the distinct advantages of non aqueous reprocessing over aqueous reprocessing, there is need to intensify the efforts to develop the former on a commercial scale. Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (MSBR) is particularly promising in this context. There is a need to investigate Th as energy amplifier under Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System (ADSS) which has potential to burn long lived radio nuclides, considered as a threat to environment over million of years.

Keywords: 232U; 233U; di-2-ethylhexyl isobutyramide; NDSE; pyrochemical; Thorex; Thorium
Corresponding author: Vijay K. Manchanda, Indian Nuclear Society, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, India, E-mail:
Formerly at Department of Energy Science, SKKU, South Korea and Radiochemistry Division, BARC, Mumbai 400085, India.

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2022-01-09
Accepted: 2022-12-20
Published Online: 2023-01-12
Published in Print: 2023-04-25

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. Thorium as an abundant source of nuclear energy and challenges in separation science
  4. Original Papers
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  6. Development of purification of no-carrier-added 47Sc of theranostic interest: selective separation study from the natTi(n,p) process
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https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2022-0006
Keywords for this article
232U; 233U; di-2-ethylhexyl isobutyramide; NDSE; pyrochemical; Thorex; Thorium

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. Thorium as an abundant source of nuclear energy and challenges in separation science
  4. Original Papers
  5. Recovery of no-carrier-added 41Ca, 44Ti, and 26Al from high-energy proton-irradiated vanadium targets
  6. Development of purification of no-carrier-added 47Sc of theranostic interest: selective separation study from the natTi(n,p) process
  7. Determination of scandium in ash and slag wastes and products of their processing by instrumental neutron activation analysis
  8. Evaluation of Re/99mTc-labeled somatostatin receptor-targeting peptide complexes synthesized via direct metal cyclization
  9. Effects of UV stress on Shewanella azerbaijanica bioremediation response
  10. Short nylon tire cord and gamma irradiation impact on SBR/ultrasonic and mechanochemical devulcanized rubber blends
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