Massive water production from lunar ilmenite through reaction with endogenous hydrogen

Finding water resources is a crucial objective of lunar missions. However, both hydroxyl (OH) and natural water (H<sub>2</sub>O) have been reported to be scarce on the Moon. We propose a potential method for obtaining water on the Moon through H<sub>2</sub>O formation via endogenous reactions in lunar regolith (LR), specifically through the reaction FeO/Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> + H → Fe + H<sub>2</sub>O. This process is demonstrated using LR samples brought back by the Chang'E-5 mission. FeO and Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> are lunar minerals containing Fe oxides. Hydrogen (H) retained in lunar minerals from the solar wind can be used to produce water. The results of this study reveal that 51-76 mg of H<sub>2</sub>O can be generated from 1 g of LR after melting at temperatures above 1,200 K. This amount is ∼10,000 times the naturally occurring OH and H<sub>2</sub>O on the Moon. Among the five primary minerals in LR returned by the Chang'E-5 mission, FeTiO<sub>3</sub> ilmenite contains the highest amount of H, owing to its unique lattice structure with sub-nanometer tunnels. For the first time, <i>in situ</i> heating experiments using a transmission electron microscope reveal the concurrent formation of Fe crystals and H<sub>2</sub>O bubbles. Electron irradiation promotes the endogenous redox reaction, which is helpful for understanding the distribution of OH on the Moon. Our findings suggest that the hydrogen retained in LR is a significant resource for obtaining H<sub>2</sub>O on the Moon, which is helpful for establishing a scientific research station on the Moon.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
The Innovation
Published
2024-08-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100690
Citations
16
Primary Topic
Planetary Science and Exploration
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.30

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Massive water production from lunar ilmenite through reaction with endogenous hydrogen

Yongjiang Huang, Mengfei Yang, Juntao Huo, Zhigang Zou et al.
16 citations
The Innovation
Planetary Science and Exploration
5.30
article

Massive water production from lunar ilmenite through reaction with endogenous hydrogen

Yongjiang Huang, Mengfei Yang, Juntao Huo, Zhigang Zou, Weixing Xia, Min Ji, Bingnan Yao, Lijing Miao, Yan Zhang, Meng Gao, H. Y. Bai, Jianfei Sun, Junfeng Cui, Lijian Song, Ao Li, Xiaohong Chen, Weihua Wang, Lei Zhang, Wei Feng Yao, Guoxin Chen, Mingliang Xiang, Weiping Xie, Shaofan Zhao, Wei Xu, Hangboce Yin, Peiling Ke, Ming Li, Xiaoxue Shui, Shiyu Yang, Haichen Wu, Junqiang Wang
article en
16 citations

Abstract

Finding water resources is a crucial objective of lunar missions. However, both hydroxyl (OH) and natural water (H<sub>2</sub>O) have been reported to be scarce on the Moon. We propose a potential method for obtaining water on the Moon through H<sub>2</sub>O formation via endogenous reactions in lunar regolith (LR), specifically through the reaction FeO/Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> + H → Fe + H<sub>2</sub>O. This process is demonstrated using LR samples brought back by the Chang'E-5 mission. FeO and Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> are lunar minerals containing Fe oxides. Hydrogen (H) retained in lunar minerals from the solar wind can be used to produce water. The results of this study reveal that 51-76 mg of H<sub>2</sub>O can be generated from 1 g of LR after melting at temperatures above 1,200 K. This amount is ∼10,000 times the naturally occurring OH and H<sub>2</sub>O on the Moon. Among the five primary minerals in LR returned by the Chang'E-5 mission, FeTiO<sub>3</sub> ilmenite contains the highest amount of H, owing to its unique lattice structure with sub-nanometer tunnels. For the first time, <i>in situ</i> heating experiments using a transmission electron microscope reveal the concurrent formation of Fe crystals and H<sub>2</sub>O bubbles. Electron irradiation promotes the endogenous redox reaction, which is helpful for understanding the distribution of OH on the Moon. Our findings suggest that the hydrogen retained in LR is a significant resource for obtaining H<sub>2</sub>O on the Moon, which is helpful for establishing a scientific research station on the Moon.

The InnovationVol. 5(5)
China Academy of Space Technology (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Harbin Institute of Technology (CN), Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory (CN), Institute of Physics (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology (CN), Nanjing University (CN)
China National Space Administration, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Youth Innovation Promotion Association, Science and Technology Innovation 2025 Major Project of Ningbo, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Planetary Science and Exploration
5.30
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.