Walking on Air
The moon might look barren and very inhospitable for humans, but actually its surface dirt – known as regolith – is rich in oxygen.
Now scientists have figured out how to extract oxygen from lunar soil, Science Alert reported.
Regolith samples collected from previous lunar missions revealed that oxygen in the moon’s surface is chemically bound to other substances in the form of oxides and can’t be used immediately.
Since the real samples are valuable, the researchers used “fake” lunar dirt, created from terrestrial materials, in their study.
The team, led by Bethany Lomax of the University of Glasgow, used an electrolysis technique to extract about 96 percent of the oxygen in the sample in a matter of 50 hours.
Previous methods required higher temperatures and generated low oxygen amounts. The new method provided a higher yield and was more sustainable.
Moreover, Lomax’s team also extracted several metal alloys in the process, which could prove useful for future colonization.
“This process would give lunar settlers access to oxygen for fuel and life support, as well as a wide range of metal alloys for in-situ manufacturing,” said James Carpenter, lunar strategy officer of the European Space Agency, who was not involved in the study.
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