Iron can be microbially extracted from Lunar and Martian regolith simulants and 3D printed into tough structural materials
Autor: | Amarante J. Böttger, Ruud W. A. Hendrikx, Martin Schwentenwein, Juergen Schleppi, Sofie M. Castelein, Advenit Makaya, Stan J. J. Brouns, Benjamin A. E. Lehner, Anne S. Meyer, Dominik Benz, Tom F. Aarts, Maude Marechal |
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Rok vydání: | 2021 |
Předmět: |
Shewanella
Consumables Compressive Strength Electronics engineering Planets Astronomical Sciences Engineering and technology Toxicology Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Soil Spectrum Analysis Techniques Medicine and Health Sciences Shewanella oneidensis Moon Process engineering Materials Martian Minerals Structural material Multidisciplinary Waste management biology Planetary Sciences Earth 3D printing Silicon Dioxide Celestial Objects Regolith Compressive strength Printing Three-Dimensional Physical Sciences Magnets Medicine Anaerobic bacteria Research Article 3d printed Iron Science Materials Science Mars Anaerobic Bacteria Research and Analysis Methods Magnetic Materials Magnetics Bacteria Toxicity business.industry Extraction (chemistry) Organisms Biology and Life Sciences In situ resource utilization X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy biology.organism_classification Earth Sciences Environmental science business Electron Beam Spectrum Analysis Techniques |
Zdroj: | PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 4, p e0249962 (2021) PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, 16(April) |
ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
Popis: | In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is increasingly acknowledged as an essential requirement for the construction of sustainable extra-terrestrial colonies. Even with decreasing launch costs, the ultimate goal of establishing colonies must be the usage of resources found at the destination of interest. Typical approaches towards ISRU are often constrained by the mass and energy requirements of transporting processing machineries, such as rovers and massive reactors, and the vast amount of consumables needed. Application of self-reproducing bacteria for the extraction of resources is a promising approach to avoid these pitfalls. In this work, the bacterium Shewanella oneidensis was used to reduce three different types of Lunar and Martian regolith simulants, allowing for the magnetic extraction of iron-rich materials. The quantity of bacterially extracted material was up to 5.8 times higher and the total iron concentration was up to 43.6% higher in comparison to untreated material. The materials were 3D printed into cylinders and the mechanical properties were tested, resulting in a 396 ± 115% improvement in compressive strength in the bacterially treated samples. This work demonstrates a proof of concept for the on-demand production of construction and replacement parts in space exploration. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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