date of publication:
May 08, 2022 7:30 GMT
Update date: May 08, 2022 9:40 GMT
A study published by scientists from China in the scientific journal “Joule” indicated that the lunar soil contains active compounds capable of converting carbon dioxide into fuel and oxygen. and studying
Source: Muhannad Al-Hamidi – Erm News
A study published by scientists from China in the scientific journal “Joule” indicated that the lunar soil contains active compounds capable of converting carbon dioxide into fuel and oxygen.
Researchers from China’s Nanjing University are currently studying the possibility of using the moon’s sources to facilitate its discovery trips, and designing a system for investing soil and solar radiation on the moon’s surface.
After analyzing lunar soil brought by China’s Chang 5 spacecraft, the researchers found that the samples contained compounds rich in iron and titanium that could be used to generate oxygen using sunlight and carbon dioxide.
The researchers suggested an extraterrestrial installation strategy, whereby a specific system electrolyzes the water extracted from the moon and turns it into oxygen and hydrogen using solar energy. The system also collects carbon dioxide from the exhaled astronauts, and hydrogen from electrolyzed water in the process of accelerated hydrogenation in the soil of the moon.
The process produces hydrocarbons; Such as: methane gas, which can be used as fuel, and the method does not use any external energy source except sunlight to produce materials, such as: water, oxygen, and fuel; What secures the base for living on the moon, according to researchers.
The team seeks to test this system in space, in future lunar missions that will be sent by China. “We use environmental sources to reduce the missile load, and through the new method, we seek to secure a sustainable and low-cost environment outside Earth,” said Yao, co-author of the study. According to Sci Tech Daily.
“In the future, we will witness the rapid development of human spaceflight, similar to the development of seafaring in the seventeenth century, and if we want to make large-scale exploration journeys into space, we must devise methods that use the least of Earth’s resources and replace them with external resources,” Yao added.
The team is trying to discover different ways to develop their project, such as: converting lunar soil into a high-entropy nanostructure with properties capable of accelerating the reaction better than normal lunar soil.
Researchers have previously proposed many strategies for life outside our planet, but they require terrestrial energy sources, such as: NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars, which is equipped with an instrument that uses carbon dioxide from the planet’s atmosphere to make oxygen, but relies on a nuclear battery for energy.