The phrase "conventional reactors" refers to the traditional, commonly used nuclear reactors that generate electricity by producing and controlling nuclear reactions. Full definition
Some could be reused in conventional reactors, but most is surplus to requirements. (newscientist.com)
Another potential benefit is that because the reactor uses its thorium fuel more efficiently, it could reduce radioactive waste by a factor of around 100 compared with conventional reactors, says Per Peterson, a professor of nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. (discovermagazine.com)
Rather than the pellets of uranium oxide used in other fast reactors and conventional reactors as fuel, GE would fabricate metal alloy fuels, with the plutonium or uranium mixed with zirconium metal. (scientificamerican.com)