Lunar in situ resource utilization
AssigneeGeorgia Tech Research Corporation
InventorsWilliam J. Ready, Shaspreet Kaur, Peter Loutzenhiser, Thomas M. Orlando
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Abstract
An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a process for extracting metals and/or metalloids from extraterrestrial regolith. The process can comprise providing a sample of extraterrestrial regolith, wherein the sample can comprise an oxide of one or more metals and/or metalloids, and chemically reacting the oxide of the one or more metals and/or metalloids with carbon via carbothermal reduction to produce one or more metals and/or metalloids.
Claims20
A process for extracting metals and/or metalloids from extraterrestrial regolith comprising:
- providing a sample of extraterrestrial regolith, wherein the sample comprises an oxide of one or more metals and/or metalloids;
- chemically reacting the oxide of the one or more metals and/or metalloids with carbon via carbothermal reduction to produce one or more metals and/or metalloids.
The process according to claim 14, wherein the concentrated solar irradiation is provided by a solar concentrating thermal technology.
(canceled)
A process for extracting metals and/or metalloids from lunar regolith comprising:
- chemically reacting an oxide of one or more metals and/or metalloids contained in a sample of the lunar regolith with a solid carbon-containing reducing agent derived from a fixed carbon source via carbothermal reduction performed in a vacuum environment having a pressure between 3×10−15 bar and 1×10−12 bar and at a temperature between 1250° C. and 2000° C. provided by concentrated solar irradiation to produce one or more metals and/or metalloids.
-17. (canceled)
(canceled)
A process for extracting metals and/or metalloids from lunar regolith comprising:
- chemically reacting an oxide of one or more metals and/or metalloids contained in a sample of the lunar regolith with a solid carbon-containing reducing agent derived from a fixed carbon source via carbothermal reduction performed in a vacuum environment having a pressure between 3×10−15 bar and 1×10−12 bar and at a temperature between 1250° C. and 2000° C. provided by concentrated solar irradiation to produce one or more metals and/or metalloids;
- wherein:
- chemically reacting the oxide comprises:
- contacting the sample with the solid carbon-containing reducing agent to form a mixture;
- and
- exposing the mixture to the concentrated solar irradiation;
- the concentrated solar irradiation provides concentrated sunlight at solar concentration ratios of at least 5000 suns;
- the solid carbon-containing reducing agent is derived from a carbon source selected from the group consisting of human feces and subsurface carbon-bearing polar ices;
- and
- the one or more metals and/or metalloids are selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silicon, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and titanium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.