uranium is 100 times more common than silver, but only .7% of natural uranium is U-235

it makes up 5–10% of the price of electricity generated with 450 power plants in operation in the world & 50 under construction, so the demand for uranium is mainly determined by nuclear power
NOT BOMBS

energy per kg Energy density MAX ;
5 kWh for Rechargeable battery
8 kWh for coal or
12 kWh for oil &
24,000,000 kWh = 5% enriched fuel grade Uranium 235
22,000,000 Kwh = Thorium in a breeder reactor?!!

raw mined ore = 2007 $300/kg max , & 2016 $41/kg min becomes 5% enriched fuel grade Uranium 235 at $1000/kg or 90% enriched weapons grade Uranium 235 at $15,000,000 /kg

Chemical processing of spent fuel material to recover any remaining product that could undergo fission again in a new fuel assembly is technically feasible, but it is not permitted in the United States.

Depleted uranium can be converted to chemically stable uranium oxide compounds, such as triuranium octoxide (U3O8) or uranium dioxide (UO2), which are similar to the chemical form of natural uranium. & disposed of as low-level radioactive waste
& the DOE currently has more than 700,000 metric tons at an estimated cost of about $428 million

depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) is typically stored in 14-ton cylinders near the enrichment facilities.

cost factored into back-end steps to safely manage, prepare, and
dispose of used—or spent—but still highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel

a primordial element with a half-life of 14.05 billion years & still only weakly radioactive
thorium is found on all continents in most rocks and soils at 6 parts per million (ppm), 3 times that of the uraniums & the most deposits in the world are in India the USA
it was $330 kg in 1995 & NOW its $70/kg as a by-product of rare-earth metal mining

it decays very slowly emitting alpha radiation that cannot penetrate human skin.

2.5% thorium monazite is found in placer deposits is the only mineral from which it is is currently mined but is also found in the minerals thor..