thorium reactor

A thorium reactor is a type of nuclear reactor that uses thorium-232 as its primary fuel instead of uranium or plutonium. In such a system, thorium-232 absorbs a neutron and is converted into uranium-233, a fissile material that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Thorium reactors are of interest because thorium is more abundant than uranium, produces less long-lived radioactive waste, and has inherent safety advantages in some reactor designs.