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MADRID, Nov. 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Engineers are developing a process that will be used to extract oxygen from lunar dust, leaving metal powders that could 3D printed on building materials for a moon base.
It could be a first step in setting up an extraterrestrial oxygen extraction facility. This would help enable exploration and sustain life on the Moon and avoid the huge cost of transporting materials from Earth, reports ESA.
The oxygen generated would be used primarily for produces rocket fuel, but could also supply air to lunar settlers.
The project is part of ESA’s preparations to establish a permanent and sustainable lunar presence. The astronauts will live and work on the Moon, where they will help develop and test the technologies needed for more distant missions in deep space.
Lunar regolith, the thin layer of dusty rock that covers the Moon, is not that different from minerals found on Earth. By weight, it contains about 45% oxygen which is bound to metals such as iron and titanium, therefore not available
The British company Metalysis has already developed a mineral extraction process that is used by industries on Earth to produce metals for manufacturing. Earlier this year, it was shown to work well with simulated lunar regolith.
The electrochemical process takes place in a specially designed chamber; those used for research are the size of a washing machine. The oxygen-containing material is immersed in a molten salt and heated to 950 ° C. A current then flows through it, causing oxygen to be extracted and migrated through the liquid salt to collect on an electrode, leaving a mixture of metal powders.
As part of the current project, Metalysis engineers are fine-tuning the technique taking into account its lunar application.
The big difference is that, on Earth, the oxygen generated is not necessary, but in space it will be the most important product of the process. This means that it must be designed to produce as much gas as possible.
Engineers will play with the process by adjusting the electrical current and reagents to increase the amount of oxygen, trying to lower the temperature required to produce it. This will help reduce the required energy, which is already scarce on the Moon.
They will also work to reduce the size of the chamber in which the process takes place so that it can be transported efficiently to the Moon.
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