Simulated Lunar Gravity Testing of a Magnetic and Electrostatic System for Beneficiating Lunar Regolith

Author

Blake A. Coffman
Gabriel Porter
Lindsay Manteufel
Mitchell Cottrell
Jeffrey D. Smith, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
David J. Bayless, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
William Shonberg
Frank D. Han, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Fateme Rezaei
Kirby Runyon

Abstract

We present the design and testing of a lunar regolith beneficiation device that utilizes magnetic and electrostatic separation methods to concentrate desired minerals by removing unwanted material, such as the mineral anorthite, from bulk lunar regolith. The beneficiated materials would have value for downstream in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) processes such as metal extraction, oxygen extraction, and metal oxide additive manufacturing processes. The apparatus uses a dual-strength magnet system with N52 and N42 neodymium magnets to separate particles by magnetic susceptibility. The electrostatic separation system, which acts like a sieve, sorts the regolith simulant by particle size using a single-phase 50% duty cycle sine wave with a peak voltage between 3.0 kV and 6.0 kV and a variable frequency signal between 15 Hz and 30 Hz. The apparatus has four outputs: concentrated iron particulates, bulk basalt, anorthite within the target particle size distribution, and anorthite outside the target particle size distribution. The target particle size distribution was tailored for each potential applied to the electrostatic sieve. Specifically, the goal of this apparatus was to obtain a beneficiated lunar regolith with an anorthite composition greater than 70 wt.% and a particle size range between 20 m and 200 m. Preliminary results show that in both lunar and Earth gravity, the apparatus successfully separates anorthite from numerous lunar regolith simulants, and the results are more pronounced in a lunar gravity environment.

Recommended Citation

B. A. Coffman and G. Porter and L. Manteufel and M. Cottrell and J. D. Smith and D. J. Bayless and W. Shonberg and F. D. Han and F. Rezaei and K. Runyon, "Simulated Lunar Gravity Testing of a Magnetic and Electrostatic System for Beneficiating Lunar Regolith," AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition AIAA Scitech Forum 2026, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., Jan 2026.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-1538

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Second Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Publication Status

Full Access

Comments

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Grant 80NSSC22K0738

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-162410765-8

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2026