NOVEL METALLURGICAL PATHWAYS FOR METAL AND OXIDE EXTRACTION FROM LUNAR REGOLITH

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) of water assets from the lunar surface, especially from the volatile-rich polar regions, is a topic of significant current research. However, the term ISRU can encompass a much wider variety of potential resources and relevant extraction technologies. In a novel approach, rather than treating an extra-terrestrial feedstock using existing terrestrial methods of metal extraction, we have focused on exploiting the ultra-high vacuum and high solar fluxes as key variables in designing the extractive process. Using computational thermodynamic modelling software, we have explored the thermodynamic effects of ultra-high vacuum conditions on high temperature systems leading to the discovery of a novel processing pathway that involves thermal decomposition at considerably lower temperatures than are usually associated with this pyrometallurgical process. In this presentation we outline a way for ISRU to extend beyond water to other valuable assets and propose a processing route for the extraction of Na, K and the beneficiation of FeO.