Ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano as a potential simulant of lunar and Martian regolith

Abstract In this article, ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano was analyzed in terms of its physicochemical and thermal properties. The study aimed to determine whether this ash can be used to produce lunar or Martian regolith simulants. Volcanic ash was analyzed to determine its phase composition and then subjected to morphological analysis using SEM images. In the next stage, ash particles were subjected to BET analysis, and their technological parameters, such as density, were determined. In the last stage, thermal properties were characterized. Differential thermal analysis provided information on phase transformations, melting temperatures, and other characteristic ash temperatures for use in developing a regolith simulant. Thermal diffusivity testing using the pulsed laser method (LFA) enabled us to determine how thermal diffusivity varies in sintered volcanic ash samples across different temperatures. This study determines how heat would penetrate space bricks of consolidated lunar or Martian regolith.