Mars Exploration News
MARSDAILY
Potential solvents identified for building on Moon and Mars
"In situ resource utilization is a big deal over the next couple of decades for NASA," said Banerjee. "Otherwise, we would need a terribly high payload of materials to carry from Earth."
Potential solvents identified for building on Moon and Mars
by Tina Hilding | Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Pullman WA (SPX) Jan 12, 2024

Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian-rock dust, an important piece in making long-term space travel possible.

Using machine learning and computational modeling, Washington State University researchers have found about half a dozen good candidates for solvents that can extract materials on the moon and Mars usable in 3D printing. The work, reported in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B, is led by Soumik Banerjee, associate professor in WSU's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.

The powerful solvents, called ionic liquids, are salts that are in a liquid state.

"The machine learning work brought us down from the 20,000-foot to the 1,000-foot level," Banerjee said. "We were able to down select a lot of ionic liquids very quickly, and then we could also scientifically understand the most important factors that determine whether a solvent is able to dissolve the material or not."

As part of its Artemis mission, NASA, which funded Banerjee's work, wants to send humans back to the moon and then to deeper space to Mars and beyond. But to make such long-term missions possible, astronauts will have to use the materials and resources in those extraterrestrial environments, using 3D printing to make structures, tools, or parts from essential elements extracted from lunar or Martian soil.

"In situ resource utilization is a big deal over the next couple of decades for NASA," said Banerjee. "Otherwise, we would need a terribly high payload of materials to carry from Earth."

Acquiring those building materials must be done in an environmentally friendly and energy efficient way. The method to mine the elements also can't use water, which isn't available on the moon.

Ionic liquids, which Banerjee's group has been studying for more than a decade for use in batteries, could be the answer.

Testing each ionic liquid candidate in a lab is expensive and time consuming, however, so the researchers used machine learning and modeling at the level of atoms to narrow down from hundreds of thousands of candidates. They looked for those that might digest lunar and Martian materials, extract important elements such as aluminum, magnesium, and iron, regenerate themselves, and perhaps produce oxygen or water as a byproduct to help provide life-support.

Identifying superior qualities that the solvents will need, the researchers were able to find about half a dozen very strong candidates. Important factors for success included the size of the molecular ions that make up the salts, its surface charge density, which is the charge per unit area of the ions, and the mobility of the ions in the liquids.

Working with researchers at the University of Colorado in a separate study , the researchers tested a few ionic liquids in the lab for their ability to dissolve compounds. They hope to eventually build a lab-scale or pilot-scale reactor and test good candidate solvents with lunar regolith-type materials.

Research Report:Toward Metal Extraction from Regolith: Theoretical Investigation of the Solvation Structure and Dynamics of Metal Ions in Ionic Liquids

Related Links
Washington State University
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MARSDAILY
NASA's CHAPEA mission reaches 200-Day milestone in Mars Analog Study
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
The first crew involved in NASA's groundbreaking Mars analog mission, CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), has successfully crossed the halfway mark of their year-long mission. As of January 11, the four-person team has spent 200 days in a specially designed habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, with the mission set to conclude on July 6, 2024. This crew, which embarked on their journey on June 25, 2023, has been living and working in a 1,700-square-foot habitat th ... read more

MARSDAILY
High hopes for Japan's 'Moon Sniper' mission

Moon age daydream: modern lunar exploration

Doomed US lunar lander's space odyssey continues...for now

Research sheds new light on Moon rock formation solving major puzzle in lunar geology

MARSDAILY
Tianxing 1B satellite launched by Kuaizhou 1A to conduct space environment survey

China Prepares to Launch Tianzhou 7 Cargo Ship to Tiangong Space Station

Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft to return to Earth

Tianzhou 7 mission set to enhance operations at China's Tiangong Space Station

MARSDAILY
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Team Clears Hurdle to Access Remaining Bennu Sample

'Explosive' Quadrantids meteor shower heading into peak

Organic compounds in asteroids formed in colder regions of space

Nuclear deflection simulations advance planetary defense against asteroid threats

MARSDAILY
New images reveal what Neptune and Uranus really look like

Researchers reveal true colors of Neptune, Uranus

The PI's Perspective: The Long Game

Webb rings in the holidays with the ringed planet Uranus

MARSDAILY
Titan's "magic islands" likely honeycombed hydrocarbon icebergs

Hubble watches 'Spoke Season' on Saturn

Dragonfly Rotorcraft Mission to Saturn's Titan Moves into Final Design Phase

Cassini's Grand Finale Unveils Variations in Saturn's D Ring influx

MARSDAILY
Mapping the Unseen: How AI and Satellite Technology Reveal Offshore Activities

NOAA Approves Sidus Space for Government and Commercial Earth Imaging

L3Harris enhances Canada's ISR capabilities with EO/IR Systems for SkyGuardian

Pixxel inaugurates advanced satellite manufacturing hub in India

MARSDAILY
Turkey's first astronaut brandishes Erdogan's ambitions

Ax-3: A Step Forward in Long-Duration Space Missions with Advanced Tech Experiments

Revolutionizing Space Habitats: Aurelia Institute's TESSERAE for Biotech Studies

Starliner parachute system upgrade tested before crewed flight

MARSDAILY
Unlocking the secrets of a "hot Saturn" and its spotted star

Astronomers make rare exoplanet discovery

Old stars may be the best places to search for life, new study suggests

Study uncovers potential origins of life in ancient hot springs

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.