Difference between revisions of "Fluorine Reaction"
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The fluorine reaction has the advantage that, since fluorine is more [[electronegative]] than oxygen, fluorine will displace oxygen from any composition of lunar rock. Hence, in principle, the process chemistry does not require finding any particular mineral source, or beneficiation of the soil to enhance the content of a particular mineral. | The fluorine reaction has the advantage that, since fluorine is more [[electronegative]] than oxygen, fluorine will displace oxygen from any composition of lunar rock. Hence, in principle, the process chemistry does not require finding any particular mineral source, or beneficiation of the soil to enhance the content of a particular mineral. | ||
| − | Recently [[Geoffrey A. Landis]] of | + | Recently [[Geoffrey A. Landis]] of NASA's [[John Glenn Research Center]] has proposed that the use of the fluoride reaction sequence could be a method by which processing lunar materials could be done to produce [[silicon]] as well as [[iron]], [[aluminum]], and the basic oxide components of [[glass]], which could be used in manufacturing, as well as producing oxygen. In his proposal the fluorine is brought to the moon in the form of [[potassium fluoride]], and is liberated from the salt by electrolysis in a eutectic salt melt. [[Tetrafluorosilane]] produced by this process is reduced to silicon by a [[plasma reduction]] stage; and the fluorine salts are reduced to metals by reaction with metallic [[potassium]] to form potassium fluoride, [[K]][[F]], the original starting material). Fluorine is recovered from residual [[Mg]][[F]] and [[Ca]][[F]]<sub>2</sub> by reaction with [[K]]<sub>2</sub>[[O]]. |
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
Revision as of 15:34, 3 February 2007
Fluorine reaction refers to a series of chemical reactions intended to produce oxygen (and possibly other materials) by the reduction of lunar regolith. It is a form of In Situ Resource Utilization.
In the basis process, fluorine is reacted with the lunar material at elevated temperature. The fluorine attacks the oxides, liberating oxygen and producing fluoride salts. The fluoride salts are then separated into fluorine and reduced metals by electrolysis.
In a variant version of the process, hydrofluoric acid, rather than gasseous fluorine, is used to attack the lunar material.
The fluorine reaction has the advantage that, since fluorine is more electronegative than oxygen, fluorine will displace oxygen from any composition of lunar rock. Hence, in principle, the process chemistry does not require finding any particular mineral source, or beneficiation of the soil to enhance the content of a particular mineral.
Recently Geoffrey A. Landis of NASA's John Glenn Research Center has proposed that the use of the fluoride reaction sequence could be a method by which processing lunar materials could be done to produce silicon as well as iron, aluminum, and the basic oxide components of glass, which could be used in manufacturing, as well as producing oxygen. In his proposal the fluorine is brought to the moon in the form of potassium fluoride, and is liberated from the salt by electrolysis in a eutectic salt melt. Tetrafluorosilane produced by this process is reduced to silicon by a plasma reduction stage; and the fluorine salts are reduced to metals by reaction with metallic potassium to form potassium fluoride, KF, the original starting material). Fluorine is recovered from residual MgF and CaF2 by reaction with K2O.
External Links
- paper "Materials Refining for Solar Array Production on the Moon"
- abstract "Oxygen extraction from lunar soil by fluorination" (1991) (PDF)
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