Abstract
AbstractIn this paper, we describe the development of an International Space Station experiment, BioRock. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate biofilm formation and microbe–mineral interactions in space. The latter research has application in areas as diverse as regolith amelioration and extraterrestrial mining. We describe the design of a prototype biomining reactor for use in space experimentation and investigations onin situResource Use and we describe the results of pre-flight tests.
Highlights
Just as microorganisms can provide useful services on Earth, they can mediate many processes at the heart of challenges present in the operations of orbital platforms or human outposts on other planetary surfaces (Horneck et al 2010; Moissl-Eichinger et al 2016)
We describe the design of a prototype biomining reactor for use in space experimentation and investigations on in situ Resource Use and we describe the results of pre-flight tests
The microbes studied in the Biorock experiment are Sphingomonas desiccabilis (University of Edinburgh), Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610 (German Aerospace Center (DLR) Cologne, Germany) and Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 (SCK-CEN). As this experiment is to be carried out on the ISS we were required to select strains that could test in principle the extraction of minerals from rock in microgravity rather than those that are necessarily the most efficient biominers
Summary
Just as microorganisms can provide useful services on Earth, they can mediate many processes at the heart of challenges present in the operations of orbital platforms or human outposts on other planetary surfaces (Horneck et al 2010; Moissl-Eichinger et al 2016). Biomining is one approach to mining in which microbes could be used to carry out bioleaching, the extraction of useful elements from regolith. Bioleaching/biomining reflects the ability of some microbes to be used to extract useful elements (Fe, Mg and Ca) from rock. The microorganisms weather the rock, by mechanisms including production of inorganic or organic acids, and leave the desired cations soluble. This process is already used on the Earth to extract metals from primary ores
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