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