WE have all heard the idiom — killing two birds with one stone. Scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, appear to have gone one better. Using the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), they have demonstrated that a single reactor can simultaneously perform three functions: generate electricity, convert non-fissile thorium into nuclear fuel and now produce green hydrogen using its waste heat.AdvertisementSeveral industries depend on hydrogen as a raw material. It is indispensable for manufacturing ammonia, the starting point for urea fertilisers. It is also used to produce…