How long does thorium nuclear waste last?

With thorium, the U233 is isolated and the result is far fewer highly radioactive, long-lived byproducts. Thorium nuclear waste only stays radioactive for 500 years, instead of 10,000, and there is 1,000 to 10,000 times less of it to start with.

How much waste does thorium produce compared to uranium?

It is estimated that one ton of thorium can produce as much energy as 35 tons of uranium in a liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Conventional reactors utilizes less than one percent of uranium, whereas a well working reprocessing reactor can utilize 99\% of its thorium fuel.

How long does uranium waste last?

The radioactivity of nuclear waste naturally decays, and has a finite radiotoxic lifetime. Within a period of 1,000-10,000 years, the radioactivity of HLW decays to that of the originally mined ore.

Is thorium better than uranium for nuclear energy?

Almost all thorium is fertile Th-232, compared to uranium that is composed of 99.3\% fertile U-238 and 0.7\% more valuable fissile U-235. It is difficult to make a practical nuclear bomb from a thorium reactor’s byproducts.

How long does thorium take to decay?

The time required for a radioactive substance to lose 50 percent of its radioactivity by decay is known as the half-life. The half-life of thorium- 232 is very long at about 14 billion years.

Why does radioactive waste last so long?

Nuclear waste is made of many isotopes For more information on this process, see our explanation of ‘decay chain’. The majority of the material in spent nuclear fuel is a relatively stable form of uranium called uranium 238 (U-238). It has a half life of over four billion years, so it will be around for a long time.

What is the decay of thorium-234?

beta particles
When thorium-234 decays, it releases negatively charged radiation called beta particles. A beta particle is an electron emitted by an unstable nucleus. The symbol for a beta particle is 0e.