> Nuclear energy is considered nonrenewable because?

Nuclear energy is considered nonrenewable because?

Posted at: 2015-05-24 
Current solid core fuel rod, boiling water reactors utilize Uranium 235 because the decay cycle produces weapons grade plutonium but Uranium 235 is very very rare and must be isotope separated from Uranium 238 which is identical in every way except for two neutrons making it very difficult to distinguish between the two. If all of our global energy use was from the current conventional nuclear reactors developed at a time of war, then we would only have 60 years of known Uranium reserves. However, had we developed Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors instead which does not produce weapons grade plutonium and the Uranium 233 that it produces are almost useless for reliable and strategic weapons; we would actually have enough for tens of thousands of years, perhaps billions when you consider that the heat of the Earth's mantle is from Thorium. Note that Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors would actually consume existing nuclear wastes.

c. once we use the Earth's supply of uranium, there will not be any more.

Nuclear energy is non-renewable because all metals heavier than iron were formed by the death of massive stars in supernovas. Even if you're talking about fusion, no natural source that we know of can create the needed fuels without a greater input of energy than we could get out of it.

There are many different kinds of nuclear reactors, not all produce dangerous waste, some can produce electricity from dangerous waste (LFTR's) nuclear reactors produce enormous amounts of energy from small amounts of uranium so we have sufficient for thousands and thousands of years.

once we use the Earth's supply of uranium, there will not be any more.

A. It produces waste that is very radioactive

B. the power plant must use a lot of water for the cooling process

C. The uranium fuel source is found in rocks that can be depleted

D. Fission generates heat in the reactor just as coal generates heat in a boiler