A photo of the lunar surface taken by the Chinese land module Chang’e 5, which collected samples in 2020
Using samples collected by the Chinese mission Chang’e 5, a group of researchers discovered a new way of liberating lunar soil and oxygen transforming carbon dioxide expired by astronauts.
Chinese scientists have announced a “simple” device powered by solar energy, which can produce water, oxygen and fuel through lunar soil.
The device-powered by solar energy-was presented in a study this Wednesday in the magazine Joule.
It is long known that there is a large amount of water in the minerals of the moon. But the proposals to extract resources from lunar soil, known as regretusually involve complicated and energy -intensive methods that are hardly sustainable for long -term lunar colonies.
Now, the Chinese University Equopa of Hong Kong has found that a relatively simple sun reactor can produce useful features by exposing regolites to sunlight and to the CO₂ exhaled by astronauts.
As details, in the experiments, the researchers used lunar samples collected by the Chang’e 5 mission of China and simulated samples made from land rocks.
How does the machine work?
In the reactor, light and heat from the sun first extract lunar soil water, then the soil acts as a catalyst for a reaction between CO₂ and water to produce carbon monoxide, oxygen and hydrogen, which can be used as fuel.
Lunar soil contains many minerals that can play a role in the reaction, but scientists theorize that a compound called illmenite It is one of the main catalysts.
“The mechanism of chemical reaction is very interesting and useful and potentially relevant to generate key resources on the moon,” he said in an interview with New Scientist, Haihui Joy Jiang from the University of Sydney, Australia, which did not participate in the study.
