This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Cutler J. Cleveland (other articles)
Introduction
In practical terms, there are two different kinds of plutonium to be considered: reactor-grade and weapons-grade. The first is recovered from typical used fuel from a nuclear reactor, which has been irradiated ("burned") for about three years. It is a by-product of electricity generation. The second is made specially for the military purpose, and is recovered from uranium fuel which has been irradiated for only 2-3 months in a production reactor. The two kinds differ in their isotopic composition.
...