View source for Iron Beneficiation

Beneficiation is the process of increasing the concentration of a valuable component of an ore. 

Native [[iron]] particles exist in [[lunar soil]] in fairly large quantities. They come from [[nickel-iron]] [[meteorites]], which become pulverized upon impact. These iron particles are tiny (fine grained) and well mixed into the fine dust of the lunar [[regolith]]. As they are in a metallic state and strongly magnetic, very little processing is needed to separate these metal particles from the [[regolith]]. 

==Magnetic separation== 

Iron particles are highly sensitive to a magnetic field, and can be extracted by passing lunar regolith over a rotating magnetic drum. Any particles containing iron would stick to the drum and are scraped off the other side, while the remainder fall through. Only about 2% of the [[lunar soil]] would adhere to the drum. A very similar process is currently utilized on earth for extracting iron ore from sand dunes.

The power requirements of this mechanical separation are quite modest. A robotic unit not much bigger than a desk could conceivably roam the lunar surface extracting iron dust from the top 10 centimeters. At a concentration of 1/2% this would yield about a kilogram of iron per square meter or 1,000 tons per km2. This is a very high yield of usable material close to any lunar facility.

Using several passes with magnets of varying strength, the collected dust can be refined to 80% pure elemental [[nickel]]-[[iron]] with the remainder as various oxides of [[iron]]-[[titanium]]. This concentrate can then be subjected to [[Ilmenite Reduction#Hydrogen Reduction | hydrogen reduction]] to reduce the remaining iron oxides to metallic iron, and then [[Mond process | carbonyl extraction]] to separate the [[nickel]] and [[iron]] from any remaining substances. An extra step could be added to remove [[cobalt]], which would be present in significant quantities after the nickel and iron were removed.

A good discussion of magnetic and electrostatic beneficiation of iron particles can be found on pages 11 to 13 of this pdf: http://www.highfrontier.org/Archive/Jt/Koelle%20PILOT%20PRODUCTION%20at%20the%20MOONBASE%202015.pdf

==liquid phase separation== 

The density of iron is much higher than the rocky dust. Therefore, it is possible that the different particles could be separated by mixing lunar regolith into a suitable liquid, then allowing the rocky dust (mostly [[Basalt]] or similar) to float and the iron particles to sink.

density of [[iron]] is 7.86 g/cm3 

density of [[basalt]] is 2.9 g/cm3 

Need a [[liquid]] which has a density in between, then the iron will [[sink]] and the basalt will [[float]]. 

===Possible liquids:=== 

====Room Temperature==== 

[[Bromine]] = 3.1028 g/cm3 

====Cryogenic==== 

None identified to date. 

====High Temperature==== 

(Basalt melts at about 1900 deg F) 
(Iron melts at 2800 deg F) 

*[[Iodine pentafluoride]] Density and phase: 3.250 g cm−3 liquid, Melting point 9.43°C (282.58 K) 
*Molten [[Tin]] at 6.99  g·cm−3 (melting point 505.08 K (231.93 °C, 449.47 °F)) 
*Various Molten Salts 

[[Category:Mining]] 
[[Category:Chemistry]] 
[[Category:ISRU]] 
[[Category:Solids]] 
[[Category:Business]] 
[[Category:Liquids]]