Innovative Method for Water and CO2 Sequestration and Reclamation in Long Duration PLSS

NASA has a clear need to develop new technology to meet the challenging objectives of long- term space missions included in the Artemis Program. New objectives include sending astronauts to the surface of the Moon and then embarking on missions to Mars. Many of the missions exploring the lunar surface and Martian environment will be longer than current extravehicular activity (EVA) time frames, and therefore the development of new, robust, and lightweight life support systems will be required. In these EVA applications, the control as well as conservation of CO2 and water is critical. Previously developed technologies, such as the Metox and RCA suffer from high volume and mass allocations as well as the inability to reclaim removed resources, and are thus, not suitable for advanced environments. In this SBIR Phase I project, Reaction Systems developed a new method to control CO2 and H2O in EVA missions that will maintain CO2 at low levels, accommodate extended mission times, and recover both CO2 and water. Reaction Systems’ approach is to utilize a high-capacity liquid sorbent and a high surface area contactor to control the compounds of interest. Once collected, the CO2 and H2O can be separated from the liquid sorbent for repurpose in a method that also regenerates the sorbent. Test results obtained in the project show that this approach is very promising. Reaction Systems has identified a liquid sorbent that has a higher capacity for CO2 compared to the silver oxide used in the METOX, which results in a reduction of the required sorbent weight. In addition, tests carried out under realistic conditions show that the system can maintain CO2 levels well below the 2.5 mm Hg limit even at the higher metabolic rates.

This system is designed with the intention of being integrated into long duration PLSS systems used in the next generation of spacesuits designed for advanced environments such as the surface of mars. In addition to the need to conserve CO2 and H2O in longer duration missions, the Martian environment presents special challenges as a result of its high atmospheric CO2 content which prevents the use of technologies like the RCA. The developed system is self-contained and not reliant on atmospheric conditions so is thus an attractive option for CO2 mitigation on mars as well as in other advanced environments such as the moon. In addition to its use in the xEMU, this technology could be used for CO2 control in a space craft cabin. The current technology, the CDRA, uses a pressure and temperature swing adsorption cycle to remove CO2. It requires high regeneration temperatures, and the thermal cycling causes the molecular sieve sorbent to break down into dust particles which can clog filters or end up in the cabin air. A liquid sorbent would not require the use of a solid molecular sieve and would also not require high regeneration temperatures. This could increase the lifetime of the system, eliminate dust from the air supply, and reduce the power requirements of the regeneration cycle. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from 280 ppm to over 400 ppm over the last 50 years. The primary source of the increase in CO2 concentration is the production and use of fossil fuels including coal, oil, gasoline and natural gas. One of the most effective methods of decarbonization is point source carbon capture which refers to the mitigation and collection of carbon emissions at the source of emission. Examples of these sources of emissions include flue-gas streams from industrial facilities, heavy duty vehicles and ships, and commercial buildings. In these applications, the volume footprint of the capture system is often of concern, and technologies need to be compact and modular for their installation and use. This technology could be used effectively to remove CO2 from the effluent of these sources in a manner that facilities convenient storage and reclamation of the compound.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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