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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Current water-remediation technologies do not efficiently manage waste ammonia-nitrogen from crew member urine, nor do they leverage nitrogen as a recoverable commodity from wastewaters. While resupply shipments might make sense for short-term research missions, establishing long-term Lunar and Martian colonies will require self-sufficient manufacturing and supply chains. We pose electrochemical wastewater refining—in which a pollutant is converted to a commodity and separated through chemical reaction—as a solution to diversify the product portfolio achievable from in-situ nitrogen while simultaneously contributing to potable water recovery. The goal of the proposed work is to engineer novel in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) unit processes that convert nitrogen in wastewaters (particularly urine) to consumables critical for long-term space travel and habitation. To meet this goal, the objectives of the proposed work are (1) characterize the ability of catalysts to electrochemically convert ammonia to critical nitrogen commodities (e.g., fertilizer, acids, pharmaceutical precursors), (2) assess the dependence of product formation on device operating conditions (e.g., voltage, flow rate), and (3) develop and demonstrate a prototype electrochemical nitrogen refinery. We envision the nitrogen refinery as a unit process for urine treatment in the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) and Habitation Systems, thus advancing ISRU capabilities for long-term space travel and habitation. This project addresses NASA’s goals to “efficiently use in-situ resources and recycle, reuse, and repurpose consumable and expendables,” as stated in the 2015 NASA Technology Roadmaps TA 06.
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