Researchers turn lunar and Martian regolith into fertile soil
What will people in future colonies on the Moon or Mars live on? New research shows that plants can thrive in the soils there.
Artistic representation of a Mars colony
(Image: NASA)
In the future, people are not only supposed to live on Earth but also on the Moon and Mars. But what will they live on? Scientists are racking their brains over this. A team from Texas A&M University and the US space agency NASA has found a possible solution: fertilizer from recycled wastewater.
NASA researchers are developing bioregenerative life support systems (Bioregenerative Life Support System, BliSS) that convert wastewater into nutrient-rich fertilizer. The team led by Harrison Coker from Texas A&M University investigated how the fertilizer produced in BLiSS interacts with simulated lunar and Martian regolith.
To achieve this, each of the two regoliths was placed in the – also simulated – wastewater. The solutions were placed in a shaker for 24 hours each to simulate weathering of the regolith. The researchers then examined the solutions. It turned out that under the influence of the fertilizer solution, valuable nutrients for plants were released from the rock, including sulfur, calcium, and magnesium.
Nutrients from Regolith
Regolith consists of tiny, sharp-edged particles that are very abrasive. After being exposed to the fertilizer solution, another positive aspect emerged: the researchers found weathering features such as tiny depressions on the simulated lunar regolith. The Martian regolith was covered with nanoparticles. This makes the particles less abrasive and thus more similar to terrestrial soil, the researchers write in the journal ACS Earth and Space Chemistry.
“In outposts on the Moon and Mars, organic waste will be the key to creating healthy and productive soils,” says Coker. “By weathering simulated lunar and Martian soils with organic wastewater, it became clear that many important plant nutrients can be derived from surface minerals.”
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Since the material the researchers worked with is not actual lunar or Martian regolith, further experiments are necessary. However, the findings obtained now are an important step for the construction and maintenance of future human colonies on other celestial bodies.
(wpl)
