Abstract

This paper presents the methodology, development, and results of an end-to-end regolith-to-metal concept for producing aluminum in-situ on the lunar surface, namely, the Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production through Molten Salt Electrolysis (LISAP-MSE) method. Using electrolytic reduction, aluminum oxide (i.e., alumina) can be reduced into aluminum and oxygen via electrolysis in a molten salt bath. A steady supply of hydrogen chloride could allow this in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) method to supply several necessary materials consumed in the electrolytic reduction step of the process to produce bulk aluminum metal, oxygen, water, and silica from anorthite abundant in lunar highland regions. In this paper, we present experimental steps for and results of thermally and chemically reducing anorthite, an aluminum-rich mineral commonly found in the lunar highlands, and testing of an electrolytic cell that was produced "in house". The results show that the end-to-end process yielded bulk metallic spheroids with >85% aluminum by mass.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Second Department

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Third Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Fourth Department

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Publication Status

Open Access

Comments

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Grant None

Keywords and Phrases

Aluminum; Electrolysis; ISRU; Moon

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0094-5765

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Oct 2025

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