A Two-Stage Waste Gasification Reactor for Mars In-Situ Resource Utilization

We propose to design, build, and test a two-stage waste processing reactor for space applications. Our proposed technology converts waste from space missions into hydrogen, water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide that can be used for energy production and/or life support. This innovative reactor technology employs a pyrolysis reactor as the first step, followed by a chemical looping gasification reactor as the second step. The two-stage process is more suitable than the traditional one-step gasification process, because solid residues associated with the waste, such as ash and tar, are contained in the pyrolysis unit. The utilization of metal oxides that can be readily obtained at the site of exploration as an oxidizer in the gasification (second) step instead of traditional oxidizers such as oxygen or steam further saves the valuable resources that can be used for life support systems or other space applications. If successful, our innovation can fully utilize natural (metal oxides) and discarded (wastes from space missions) materials that may exist during space exploration, thus saving the valuable oxygen or water that can be used for life support systems or other space applications.

The target NASA application for our technology is in-situ production of useful compounds using discarded waste and natural mineral resources in space. Our innovation, if successful, fully utilizes resources readily available during space exploration, and is inline with NASA's vision of ISRU – to harness and utilize resources at the site of exploration and to create products that significantly reduce the mass, cost, and risk of near-term and long-term space exploration. We anticipate the proposed technology can be readily used for Mars exploration, since hematite (mineral form of Fe2O3) is believed to be widely available on Mars. Other space missions in need of water or power generation may also benefit from our technology.

Other government agencies can also benefit from our proposed technology. The proposed technology will be of interest to DOD for military deployments in remote areas where water and/or energy resources are scarce. The proposed pyrolysis-chemical looping technology can provide a more environmental friendly alternative to convert waste plastics and biomass into synthesis gas–carbon dioxide produced from the process can be easily separated from the combustion air and almost no NOx and SOx emissions will be resulted from the process. As a result, government agencies and other commercial sectors involving synthesis gas production or alternative energy technologies from waste will also benefit from our proposed effort.

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