Water vapor extraction from the Martian atmosphere by adsorption in molecular sieves

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a feasibility study of the extraction of water vapor by adsorption from the Martian atmosphere for in situ resource utilization (ISRU) purposes. Utilizing a process called Water Vapor Adsorption Reactor (WAVAR), the University of Washington is developing a potentially promising water extraction concept based on adsorption in zeolite molecular sieves. Utilizing both wind and fan power, Martian atmosphere is passed through a zeolite bed which adsorbs atmospheric water vapor. Once the zeolite bed is saturated, it is removed from the flow, placed in a sealed chamber, and the water vapor desorbed by microwave heating of the bed, all in a continuous batch process. New to this study is the inclusion of ambient Martian surface wind in the process flow. The study presents results of simulations using wind speed, temperature, and humidity data from the Viking 1 Lander.