Iron can be microbially extracted from Lunar and Martian regolith simulants and 3D printed into tough structural materials

PLoS One. 2021 Apr 28;16(4):e0249962. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249962. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

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 reduce 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 combination of bacterial treatment and magnetic extraction resulted in a 5.8-times higher quantity of iron and 43.6% higher iron concentration compared to solely magnetic extraction. The materials were 3D printed into cylinders and the mechanical properties were tested, resulting in a 400% 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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Compressive Strength
  • Iron / analysis
  • Iron / isolation & purification
  • Iron / metabolism*
  • Magnetics
  • Mars
  • Minerals / chemistry
  • Minerals / pharmacology
  • Moon
  • Printing, Three-Dimensional
  • Shewanella / chemistry
  • Shewanella / drug effects
  • Shewanella / growth & development
  • Shewanella / metabolism*
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry
  • Soil / chemistry

Substances

  • Minerals
  • Soil
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • Iron

Supplementary concepts

  • Shewanella oneidensis

Grants and funding

The company Lithoz provided support in the form of salaries for M. Schwentenwein and F. Ertl as well as access to their 3D printing facility, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. This work was supported by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO/OCW), as part of the Frontiers of Nanoscience program. This funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.