Environment - Essay Example

Environmental studies Comparison of Uranium versus Thorium Nuclear reactors Thorium is a more abundant nuclear power as compared to uranium, which is not so plentiful. Besides, the cost of thorium is significantly cheaper than uranium because of its abundance. This makes thorium a better product in terms of effectiveness in production and minimization of manufacturing costs. The amount used in the extraction of thorium is considerably less than that of the mining of uranium in terms of energy. In the main, this is because its concentration per unit is greater than most of the other compounds.
Thorium is safer than uranium in diverse means. In terms of the environment, thorium is a better product in contrast to uranium. In the reaction process, most of the thorium is combusted in a way that most of the thorium is spent. This means that a lower amount of waste is produced. Eventually, there are less harmful wastes in the surroundings. This argument favors thorium reactors because its resistance to meltdowns is greater. This means that it is safer, although there is always the possibility of some poisonousness. It is poisonous in the short-term, but nearly harmless in the long-term in comparison to uranium.
Although both of them are nuclear reactors, they use dissimilar fission reactions. In essence, this means that there are different products and properties that arise from the reactions. While uranium cannot be easily used with thorium, thorium can be mixed with other uranium extracts. This means that its use does not mean that uranium would be out-of-date. They can be used together to form bigger and more potent compounds. However, scientific research indicates that the assembly of thorium is not as stress-free as that of uranium.
Scientifically, thorium is not fissile. While uranium can split to form a nuclear chain reaction, thorium cannot split. Even so, it can be made fissile through the bombardment of diverse chemical reactions. Apart from that, the damage caused in the Fukushima disaster evidences how volatile uranium can be. On the contrary, thorium does not exhibit such reactions, and it cannot be used in making weaponries. In case of a catastrophe, a thorium reaction can be stopped because it is not fissile. In terms of density, thorium is about 200 times heavier than uranium and other lead products.
Thorium is perhaps better than uranium as a nuclear reactor. In the main, it is a better substitute when equated to uranium. However, there still exists some challenges in the use of thorium, mainly because of personal welfares. Over the years, the use of uranium has formed a multi-billion industry that is controlled by personal interests. The use of thorium has tantalized the energy market as a new competitor in primary bases of energy. In spite of the hype it has received, it still remains to be nonviolent, low-priced, more plentiful, and less harmful than uranium. All the same, there is a need for more research to determine whether thorium will deliver better than uranium. In the time being, it is a better version when likened to uranium.
Work Cited
Maitra, Ramtanu. Thorium: Preferred Nuclear Fuel of the Future. Nuclear Report. 2005. Pp. 45-
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