China is working on a way to extract oxygen from the moon’s surface
- Experiments were carried out using a small reactor during one of China’s lunar missions
- Researcher also unveils design of a solar-powered device to release oxygen from lunar soil
Chinese researchers are working on a way to extract oxygen from lunar soil that they hope will be used to sustain humans on the moon in the future.
Guo told a space conference in Shenzhen on Monday that there was a need to find oxygen on the moon “as soon as possible” to support China’s plan to build a research station there.
Guo on Monday said oxygen could be extracted from lunar soil – which is rich in titanium-iron oxide and ferrous oxide – by heating it to high temperatures of up to 2,500 degrees Celsius (4,500 Fahrenheit). That causes the ions to break down and gaseous oxygen to be released.
She said it was a highly efficient method that could produce up to 30kg of oxygen from 100kg of soil, though the high temperatures were a safety concern. As well as oxygen, the process could also produce other useful materials including high-purity silicon – used for semiconductors – and metals such as iron and titanium.