Regenerable Contaminant Removal System

The Regenerable Contaminant Removal System (RCRS) is an innovative method to remove sulfur and halide compounds from contaminated gas streams to part-per-billion levels in support of lunar oxygen production. A series of high efficiency sorbents sequentially removes contaminants at temperatures above dew point. Sorbents are regenerated, and contaminants are recovered in concentrated form. The RCRS is installed downstream from lunar soil reduction reactors to protect hardware from corrosion, to protect catalysts from poisoning, and to reduce the load on aqueous contaminant removal processes used in advance of electrolysis. Custom, high-porosity, high-capacity sorbents are used to minimize sorbent mass and sorption reactor volume while also minimizing process pressure drop. Sorption reactor volumes are small compared to the volume of soil reduction reactors. High porosity and sorbent durability are imparted through the use of organic and inorganic fillers and binders during manufacture of the sorbents. The RCRS imposes very little parasitic load on ISRU oxygen recovery systems during the course of sorbent regeneration and recovery of contaminant byproducts. The basic RCRS process can be tailored to provide contaminant removal for a wide range of reducing gas compositions.

High temperature sulfur and halide capture have been the focus of work related to biomass and coal gasification for chemical or fuels synthesis and fuel cell applications. Alternatives to low-temperature wet chemical systems have been sought to avoid the capital and operating expenses associated with chilling process gases for contaminant removal and subsequent reheating for the intended applications. The Regenerable Contaminant Removal System has the potential to provide novel solutions to the growing use of fossil fuels and biomass in new conversion technologies.

The primary initial application of the Regenerable Contaminant Removal System is for sulfur and halide capture and recovery in support of lunar oxygen production. The RCRS has direct use to both protect ISRU hardware and catalysts and to produce useful amounts of byproducts for future lunar ISRU applications.

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