(Invited) A Review of Electrochemical Methods for Extraction of Oxygen From Regolith

Abstract

The surface of many planetary bodies, including the Moon and Mars, is composed primarily of metal oxides. A number of competing technologies have been proposed to extract oxygen from the dust on the surface. These methods include reduction of the iron- and silicon-containing species by hydrogen or by electrons. The direct electrochemical reduction methods run at different temperatures, from approximately room temperature to over the melting point of iron. Some of these methods produce liquid metal, and others solid metal powders. The latter can optionally extend the electrolysis to recover oxygen from aluminum and titanium species, although at an energetic cost. This talk will review recent progress and current capabilities for these processes.