Review of techniques for In-Situ oxygen extraction on the moon

Schlüter, Lukas; Cowley, Aidan

doi:10.1016/j.pss.2019.104753

Cited by 67 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Molten oxide electrolysis is a proven terrestrial means to convert metal oxide feedstock into liquid metal components and has been studied by NASA as a potential method to purify metals and generate oxygen. , A schematic illustrating a conceptual lunar molten oxide electrolysis technique is shown in Figure . In brief, electrical current is passed through the regolith, generating temperatures required to liquefy the regolith.…”

Section: Chemistry Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of other student activities related to molten oxide electrolysis, materials processing, semiconductors, and batteries include: Explain how differences in cell potential could be used to separate a mixture of metal oxides into their pure components. Investigate other metals common to the lunar regolith and discuss their potential uses for space materials and structures. , Discuss why generation of oxygen at the anode via molten oxide electrolysis is especially useful for the space environment. Conduct a laboratory demonstration of the electrolysis of molten zinc chloride to zinc and chlorine gas Investigate and compare the carbon dioxide emissions in making steel by molten oxide electrolysis versus conventional smelting methods …”

Section: Chemistry Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Investigate other metals common to the lunar regolith and discuss their potential uses for space materials and structures. , …”

Section: Chemistry Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lunar Resource Harvesting and Manufacturing: Rich Content for the Chemistry Classroom

2021

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Space-related activities remain a fertile environment for classroom applications of chemistry through both traditional lecture styles and through collaborative learning projects. With the resurgence of lunar exploration and the expansion of the commercial space sector, serious scholarship, planning, and resources have been focused on extracting and using lunar materials to sustain activity in space. In this work, several interdisciplinary general chemistry topics and assessment activities are explored through the lens of lunar resource formation, identification, extraction, purification, and employment. Four applications of chemistry are presented: the formation of lunar water via reduction of ores by solar wind, identifying likely locations of lunar water via spectroscopy, extracting water from the lunar regolith for use as fuel, and the extraction, purification, and use of materials from the lunar regolith. A variety of traditional general chemistry topics are explored through these applications, to include light, energy, unit conversions, equilibrium, phase diagrams, oxidation–reduction, and semiconductors.

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Section: Chemistry Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chemistry Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lunar Resource Harvesting and Manufacturing: Rich Content for the Chemistry Classroom

2021

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“…Using the locally available resources, referred to as in‐situ resource utilisation (ISRU), is considered to be a crucial factor in achieving this aim (Anand et al, 2012; Carpenter et al, 2016; Crawford, 2015; Ellery, 2018; Larson et al, 2011; Lavoie & Spudis, 2016; Linne et al, 2015; Sacksteder & Sanders, 2007; Sanders, 2011; Sanders et al, 2008, 2010; Spudis & Lavoie, 2011). In the case of the Moon, the lunar soil (i.e., the surficial regolith) has proven to be a potentially viable feedstock for additive manufacturing and sintering processes (Balla et al, 2012; Cesaretti et al, 2014; Fateri & Gebhardt, 2015; Fateri et al, 2013; Goulas & Friel, 2016; Goulas et al, 2017, 2019; Labeaga‐Martínez et al, 2017; Meurisse et al, 2017, 2018; Taylor et al, 2018), oxygen extraction (Balasubramaniam et al, 2010; Lomax et al, 2020; Sargeant et al, 2020; Schlüter & Cowley, 2020), as well as construction purposes (Hintze & Quintana, 2013; Lim et al, 2017; Raju et al, 2014; Sik Lee et al, 2015; Toutanji et al, 2005; Werkheser et al, 2015). Nevertheless, ISRU applications come at the end of the ISRU process chain (Hadler et al, 2020; Just et al, 2020b; Pelech et al, 2021), as material must be first excavated and subsequently beneficiated, for example, in the form of grain size separation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES³) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform

Just

Roy

Joy

et al. 2021

Journal of Field Robotics

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Future sustained human presence on the Moon will require us to make use of lunar resources. This in‐situ resource utilisation (ISRU) process will require suitable feedstock (i.e., lunar regolith) that has been both acquired and prepared (or beneficiated) to set standards. Acquisition of pre‐processed regolith, is an often overlooked engineering challenge in the demanding and low‐gravity environment of the lunar surface. Currently, regolith excavation and size separation are often developed independently of each other. Here, we present the Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES3), which is an engineered one‐system solution to combine the acquisition of lunar regolith as well as separate it into two distinct size fractions, and therefore, can assist to define the quality of the feedstock material for ISRU processes. Intended for use with a lightweight (40–60 kg) lunar rover (LUnar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation‐X; LUVMI‐X) currently under development, the mechanism utilises vibrations to reduce excavation forces and facilitate size separation. Low excavation forces are crucial for lunar excavators to be deployable on lightweight robotic platforms as limited traction forces are available. The rationale behind the mechanism is explained, its capabilities in the support of science and ISRU are showcased, and results from several laboratory test campaigns, including tests of gravitational dry sieving of different regolith simulants, are presented. The LES3 can excavate up to 100 g in a single charge while maintaining excavation forces of less than 8 N and having a mass of less than 2 kg. Finally, areas of improvement for a second iteration of the design are presented and explained. The LES3 proof of concept shows that combining of regolith excavation and size‐separation in a single mechanism is feasible.

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“…lectrolytic oxygen production (be this by the electrolysis of water [1][2][3][4][5] , or by the electrolysis of regolith in molten salts or oxides 4,[6][7][8] ) will be critical for sustainable habitation of the Moon and Mars. This subject may have seemed of only academic interest a few short years ago, but recent commitments by national agencies and commercial players to return astronauts to the lunar surface and to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon provide an urgent imperative to develop new approaches for supporting life on the Moon from resources found in-situ.…”

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confidence: 99%

Predicting the efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on the Moon and Mars

et al. 2022

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Establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon or Mars requires a secure supply of oxygen for life support and refueling. The electrolysis of water has attracted significant attention in this regard as water-ice may exist on both the Moon and Mars. However, to date there has been no study examining how the lower gravitational fields on the Moon and Mars might affect gas-evolving electrolysis when compared to terrestrial conditions. Herein we provide experimental data on the effects of gravitational fields on water electrolysis from 0.166 g (lunar gravity) to 8 g (eight times the Earth’s gravity) and show that electrolytic oxygen production is reduced by around 11% under lunar gravity with our system compared to operation at 1 g. Moreover, our results indicate that electrolytic data collected using less resource-intensive ground-based experiments at elevated gravity (>1 g) may be extrapolated to gravitational levels below 1 g.

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Review of techniques for In-Situ oxygen extraction on the moon

Cited by 67 publications

References 39 publications

Lunar Resource Harvesting and Manufacturing: Rich Content for the Chemistry Classroom

Lunar Resource Harvesting and Manufacturing: Rich Content for the Chemistry Classroom

Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES³) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform

Predicting the efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on the Moon and Mars

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Review of techniques for In-Situ oxygen extraction on the moon

Cited by 67 publications

References 39 publications

Lunar Resource Harvesting and Manufacturing: Rich Content for the Chemistry Classroom

Lunar Resource Harvesting and Manufacturing: Rich Content for the Chemistry Classroom

Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES3) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform

Predicting the efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on the Moon and Mars

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES³) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform