Abstract In situ resource utilisation (ISRU) is seen as a mean to enable sustainable space exploration by providing some of the required products not by resupplies from the surface of the earth but by using the resources present on other celestial bodies. On the moon, oxygen can be extracted from the lunar soil, the so-called regolith, either by thermochemical reduction or by extraction from ice deposits. However, the gas extracted is expected to contain impurities, which might be harmful for the downstream application of the gas. The gas purity requirements are determined by the gas user, which might be astronauts but also electrolysers or rocket engines. Therefore, gas purification is vital to in-situ resource utilisation on the moon. In this work, the impurities most likely to emerge from oxygen extraction processes on the moon are summarised, gas user requirements are studied and terrestrial gas purification processes that might be applied on the moon to remove those impurities are reviewed. This shall lead to a first understanding of the downstream gas processing steps that will be required to generate a useful product for space exploration. In future ISRU studies, gas purification should be considered in early phases to realistically evaluate different extraction techniques.
Highlights Oxygen. Lunar regolith. Gas purification. In-situ resource utilisation. ISRU.
Gas purification for oxygen extraction from lunar regolith
Acta Astronautica ; 179 ; 371-381
2020-11-10
11 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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