To meet its rapidly growing energy demand, some opine that India should pursue research and development on thorium as the future fuel of nuclear energy. In this context, what advantage does thorium hold over uranium? 1. Thorium is far more abundant in nature than uranium. 2. On the basis of per unit mass of mined mineral, thorium can generate more energy compared to natural uranium. 3. Thorium produces less harmful waste compared to uranium. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Statement 1 is correct. Global estimates suggest that thorium is about three to four times more abundant in the Earth's crust than uranium. India has particularly large reserves of thorium, primarily in the form of monazite sands. 2. Statement 2 is correct. Natural uranium contains only about 0.7% fissile U-235, with the rest being fertile U-238. Thorium (Th-232) itself is fertile but can be converted into fissile U-233 in a reactor. The thorium fuel cycle allows for a much higher utilization of the mined material for energy generation, especially in breeder reactors, potentially generating more energy per unit mass compared to using only the U-235 component of natural uranium in typical reactors. 3. Statement 3 is correct. The thorium fuel cycle generally produces less long-lived minor actinides (transuranic elements like plutonium, americium, curium) compared to the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle used in most current reactors. This results in nuclear waste that is considered potentially less harmful in the long term, reducing the duration and complexity of waste management.