Mars is a very cold planet, and its water is full of salt. It is not suitable for drinking, but electrolysis allows
But if oxygen and hydrogen are directly extracted fromsalt water, the electrolysis process becomes less complicated and expensive. Engineers from the University of Washington in St. Louis have developed a system that will be useful to future colonizers of Mars.
The research team tested their brine electrolysis system in both typical Earth conditions and a simulated Martian atmosphere at –36 ° C.
In the summer of 2008, NASA's Phoenix Mars probe“touched and tasted” Martian water. Since then, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express has discovered several underground reservoirs of water. They remain in a liquid state due to the presence of magnesium perchlorate, a magnesium salt of perchloric acid.
To live —even temporarily —On Mars and return to Earth, astronauts will have to produce some essential supplies themselves, including water and fuel. NASA's Perseverance rover is equipped with instruments that will use high-temperature electrolysis to convert salt water. However, this Mars In-Situ Oxygen Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) is only capable of producing oxygen from carbon dioxide in the air.
A system developed by engineers from WashingtonUniversity, can produce 25 times more oxygen than MOXIE using the same amount of energy. It also produces hydrogen that can be used as fuel.
The unique design and use of an anode allows the system to operate without the need for heating or cleaning the water source.
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