Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive element with the atomic number 90.
钍是一种自然存在的放射性元素，原子序数为90。
Thorium dioxide (ThO2) is used as a fuel in some types of nuclear reactors.
钍化物（ThO2）在某些类型的核反应堆中用作燃料。
Thorium has potential as an alternative energy source due to its abundant reserves and efficient breeding properties.
钍因其储量丰富和高效的增殖特性，有可能作为一种替代能源。
The discovery of thorium was made by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1829.
钍元素是由约翰·雅各布·贝采利乌斯于1829年发现的。
Thorium-based nuclear power could be a safer option compared to traditional uranium reactors.
以钍为基础的核电相对于传统的铀反应堆可能更为安全。
Thorium can be found in small quantities in most rocks and soils, but is concentrated in certain minerals like monazite.
钍在大多数岩石和土壤中都存在少量，但在像独居石这样的特定矿物中则含量较高。
Thorium-232 decays into Uranium-233 through a series of alpha and beta decays, making it useful for nuclear fuel cycles.
钍-232通过一系列阿尔法和贝塔衰变衰变为铀-233，使其在核燃料循环中有用。
Research on thorium-based molten salt reactors is ongoing to explore their potential for clean and sustainable energy production.
对基于钍的熔盐反应器的研究正在进行中，旨在探索其用于清洁和可持续能源生产的可能性。
Thorium lantern mantles, which glow due to the radiation emitted from thorium decay, were once widely used in camping lanterns.
由于钍衰变释放出的辐射而发光的钍纱罩，曾广泛应用于露营灯笼中。
Although thorium itself isn't fissile, it can be converted into fissile U-233 under specific conditions, making it a fertile material.
尽管钍本身不具备裂变性质，但可在特定条件下转化为可裂变的铀-233，因此它是一种富集材料。
Contracts have been signed for nuclear projects in Argentina while the CNNC and its Saudi Arabian partner have agreed to push forward cooperation on uranium and thorium resources.
China National Nuclear Corp, one of the country's largest nuclear companies, signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia last week to further explore and assess uranium and thorium resources in the country.
Thorium probably does not figure high on most people's list of energy sources.
Thorium was being looked at by the United States in the 1950s and 60s.
Today, more than a dozen countries, including China, are reassessing thorium as an alternative energy source in a world that is demanding more energy than ever before.
Late last year, it was widely reported that China was to spend more than $3 billion on two experimental thorium molten salt reactors in the Gobi Desert in the northwest province of Gansu.
In Norway, Thor Energy has begun a four-year study with Japan's Toshiba-Westinghouse to see whether they can use thorium at Norway's conventional Halden reactor south of Oslo, the capital.
Japan's International Institute for Advanced Studies is also studying molten salt reactors that use thorium.
Andrew Stuchbery, head of the nuclear physics department at the Australian National University in Canberra, said, "Thorium has been around for a long time.
"It is also surrounded by a lot of myths, such as the US dropping its research because thorium could not be turned into weapons-grade material," he said.
"In the early days of nuclear energy, thorium was thought to be a lot more abundant than uranium.
The concern was that there was not enough uranium to support large-scale energy production, so thorium was considered as a long-term alternative.
"When the US dropped thorium research, uranium was no longer in short supply and the thorium research had hit technical obstacles.
"According to Stuchbery, thorium reactors remain experimental.
"The point is, thorium reactors are still being developed and are not commercially viable compared to uranium reactors.
The waste from thorium reactors breaks down faster than the waste from uranium reactors.
"As a metal, thorium can be found in rocks and soil, and some of the biggest concentrations are in China, India and Australia.
Thorium transforms into fissionable uranium-233 when hit by neutrons.
The thorium blueprints gathered dust in archives until retrieved and published by former NASA engineer Kirk Sorensen.
Jonathan Cobb, senior communication manager for the World Nuclear Association, said China is undertaking research into a broad range of advanced nuclear generation technologies, including those that would use thorium as a fuel.
He said several groups are developing thorium-breeding molten salt reactors, otherwise known as liquid fluoride thorium reactors.
China is also looking to use thorium in pressurized heavy water reactors, he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said work on the use of thorium as a fuel for nuclear power began at about the same time that the first studies on uranium and plutonium started.
"Thorium seemed an attractive option for nuclear material," the IAEA said in a report in 2012.
"In spite of a rather long list of advantages, thorium is not yet augmenting the use of uranium fuel on a commercial basis, although research efforts regarding the thorium fuel cycle continue," the report said.
"As yet, there is no commercial fabrication or reprocessing infrastructure for thorium fuel, unlike the available infrastructure for the uranium fuel cycle.
"In the 21st century, market conditions may change in such a way that thorium options will become commercially more attractive for nuclear power application. "
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