Book of Abstracts- Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials Workshop

TOWARDS LUNAR SIMULANTS POSSESSING PROPERTIES CRITICAL TO RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT OF EXTRACTIVE PROCESSES. D.R. Sadoway 1 , D.C. Lynch 2 , L. Sibille 3 , and K.A. Debelak
4 ; 1 Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts
Avenue, Room 8-203, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, dsadoway@mit.edu, 2 Department of Materials Science and
Engineering, The University of Arizona, Harshbarger Bldg., Room 16B, Tucson, AZ 85721-0012,
dclynch@engr.arizona.edu, 3 BAE Systems, Analytical & Ordnance Solutions, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center,
Exploration Science and Technology Division XD42, Huntsville, AL 35812, Laurent.Sibille@msfc.nasa.gov,
4 Department of Chemical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Box 1604 B, Nashville, TN 37235,
kenneth.a.debelak@vanderbilt.edu.
Introduction: Extractive processes rely heavily
on the chemical and physicochemical properties of
feedstocks. Accordingly, the design of lunar simulants
must take this subset of materials properties into account
if laboratory studies are to yield useful data. This
paper presents an analysis of stimulant needs from
three different perspectives, each involving a branch of
chemical processing.
Pyrometallurgical Extraction Processes: Previous
work by David C. Lynch at the University of Arizona’s
Space Engineering Research Center for Utilization
of Local Planetary Resources on recovery of oxygen
by pyrometallurgical processing of lunar regolith
will be reviewed (see Figure 1). Specific chemical and
physicochemical properties of significance to pyrometallurgy
will be enumerated.
Supercritical Fluid Extraction Processes: Recent
work by Kenneth A. Debelak at Vanderbilt University
on the use of surfactants to enhance the extraction
of metals in supercritical carbon dioxide from
feedstock resembling compounds found in Martian soil
will be reviewed (see Figure 2). Specific chemical and
physicochemical properties of significance to processing
in supercritical fluids will be enumerated.
Metal Extraction and Oxygen Production by
Molten Oxide Electrolysis: Recent work by Donald
R. Sadoway at MIT on the use of molten oxide electrolysis
to directly decompose lunar regolith into oxygen
and metal will be reviewed (see Figure 3). Specific
chemical and physicochemical properties of significance
to high-temperature electrolytic processing in
molten salts will be enumerated.
Overarching Themes in Extraction Processes:
On the basis of the ideas presented in the previous
three sections of the paper, the scientific underpinnings
will be expressed with a view to trying to develop a
design paradigm that applies broadly to chemical processes.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
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