OXYGEN PRODUCTION ON MARS (OPTIMiSm)

  • Plasma conversion of CO2 from the Martian atmosphere

In a Nutshell

Plasmolysis + electrocatalysis + electrochemical separation membrane = OPTIMiSm

Project Description

The forthcoming age of space colonization is intertwined with our ability to harness resources in the exploration site that would have to be brought from Earth otherwise. The next frontier, Mars, has an atmosphere that consists mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2), a raw material that can be used to produce propellants and oxygen for breathing. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) therefore relies on the separation of CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen (O2).

CO2 dissociation is a strongly endothermic process, making it difficult to activate CO2 efficiently by conventional thermal and catalytic reaction processes. The breakthrough is to use a plasma-activated electrochemical system combining plasmolysis, electrolysis and membrane separation to dissociate carbon dioxide and separate the produced oxygen at low-energy cost. The project consists on a thorough theoretical, numerical simulation and experimental investigation of all the steps involved in plasma production of O2 directly from the Martian atmosphere, from the fundamentals to a proof of concept prototype.

Goals

  • Create a device to generate O2 from directly from the Martian atmosphere
  • Pure stream of O2
  • Low energy cost
  • High CO2 to O2 conversion efficiency

Main Activities

  • Obtain reliable collisional data & definition of a reaction mechanism for CO2 “Martian plasmas”
  • Investigate experimentally and theoretically O2 production through different physical principia
  • Build a proof-of-concept plasma-activated electrochemical prototype
  • Establish the roadmap for upgrading the prototype to TRL-6 & for integration in a future spatial mission