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Bacteria and space mines don’t seem to be two things that go together. However, a new study published in the journal Nature Communications indicates that bacteria would increase mining efficiency in human colonies off the Earth. In the words of the authors, the data “demonstrate the potential of space biomineration and the principles of a reactor [químico, não nuclear] for the advancement of human industry and mining beyond the Earth. “
Scientists focus on bacteria and space mining to explore the Moon and Mars. As we have reported several times here, the interest of space agencies and companies on the Moon is great. The natural satellite will soon become a space port, because we spend a lot of fuel to leave the Earth, thanks to the atmosphere. This greatly limits the manned travel distance. So, to get humans to Mars, for example, we need to refuel somewhere – the Moon, in this case,
Among the applications of bacteria is mining, as the most immediate application. This would bring a good amount of raw material for humans to work on what is needed. Additionally, breaking rocks would bring in enough minerals to make a fertile soil and grow plants in Martian and lunar greenhouses for food.
“Microorganisms are very versatile and, as we move through space, they can be used to perform a variety of processes. Elementary mining is potentially one of them, ”explains Dr Rosa Santomartino, of the University of Edinburgh School of Physics and Astronomy in the UK, in a note.
The experiment
On Earth, microorganisms are already used in mines. When they consume the rock, they expose the mineral itself. Therefore, miners do not need to use extremely poisonous and harmful chemicals, such as cyanide, which is widely used in gold mines here on Earth, but also acts as a powerful poison.
For a full decade, the team has been developing a small reactor (although people commonly link the word reactor to a nuclear reactor, a reactor is simply a place where reactions take place, be it nuclear, or any other type of physical reaction, either. chemistry). The size of a matchbox, the scientists sent 18 reactors to the ISS (International Space Station).
The team’s idea was to understand whether bacteria would be able to degrade rocks in a microgravity environment. The Moon, for example, has a gravity 6 times lower than the Earth. Therefore, operation with lower gravity than occurs on Earth will contribute to the success of biomineration. This will open the door to space exploration.
Inside the reactor were chunks of basalt, a fairly common volcanic rock on the Moon. In the solutions, the scientists used three species of bacteria: Sphingomonas desiccabilis, Bacillus subtilis and Cupriavidus metallidurans, in different combinations between different reactors. In addition, the scientists maintained a reactor with a bacteria-free solution as a control group, ensuring that the bacteria actually degraded the rocks.
Results of bacteria in space extraction
The scientists then found that there were no significant differences between terrestrial and space biomineration. Furthermore, for B. subtilis and C. metallidurans, the extraction of rare earth minerals (a group of 17 minerals), resembled the control group. But the species of bacteria S. desiccabilis it had taken off well, in relation to the control group.
“Our experiments support the scientific and technical feasibility of biologically enhanced elemental extraction through the Solar System,” says Professor Charles Cockell of the University of Edinburgh. “While it is not economically feasible to extract these elements into space and bring them to Earth, space biomining could potentially support a self-sufficient human presence in space.”
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. With information from Science Alert and the University of Edinburgh.
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