from
https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/07/photoelectrochemical_life_support_mars/rec.

Scientists think they may have cracked life support for Martian occupation
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Outdated ISS system will need an upgrade if we're to go further into space
iconLindsay Clark
Wed 7 Jun 2023 // 10:33 UTC
Researchers have figured out that direct photochemical reactions could
provide the oxygen and hydrogen humans need for long-term habitation of
Mars or the Moon.

The International Space Station (ISS) relies on photovoltaic-driven
water electrolyzers to get oxygen from water. But the two-stage process
– converting sunlight into electricity and then using electricity in the
electrolysis of water – is costly.

A paper published this week said about 1.5kW out of the 4.6kW energy
budget of the Environmental Control and Life Support System on the ISS
is used up by the Oxygen Generator Assembly (OGA), which relies on
electrolysis. The approach was a dead end in terms of future space
exploration and habitation, the study published in Nature Communications
states.

As well as the high energy demand, the OGA and the Carbon Dioxide
Reduction Assembly "currently in place on the ISS bear the challenge of
being notoriously cumbersome and prone to breakdowns due to obsolete,
inefficient, or ageing compartments," it said.

As an alternative approach, lead researcher Katharina Brinkert,
assistant professor of catalysis at the University of Warwick, assessed
the viability of photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices to aid the chances
of long-term survival.

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PEC devices use semiconductor materials to convert solar energy directly
to chemical energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen without requiring the
intermediate production of electricity. The technology is the subject of
intense research on Earth because it might help in the sustainable
energy problem, but its potential in space has yet to be studied.

"This work seeks to establish the theoretical foundations for the
application of PEC devices in habitats on the Moon and Mars and delivers
the first foray into exploring the feasibility of utilising them for
oxygen production and carbon dioxide recycling," Brinkert said in the paper.

The researchers concluded it was possible, but with some caveats.

"Although high long-term efficiencies and power densities of PEC devices
are still integral parts of ongoing terrestrial research efforts, we
have shown that the application of these devices could go beyond Earth
and potentially contribute to the realisation of human space
exploration," the paper said.

The research also looked at whether the PEC devices could be built in an
extra-terrestrial settlement using In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU),
meaning what you can find where you've landed.

"The device construction can draw from a variety of semiconductors and
electrocatalyst materials that are available on the Moon and Mars and
the required materials can eventually be produced via ISRU. Moreover, we
have previously demonstrated that PEC devices can work efficiently in
microgravity and our theoretical analysis suggests that it can suitably
be scaled up," the study said. ®

Similar topics
Mars
Moon
Science
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