Mineral Processing and Metal Extraction on the Lunar Surface - Challenges and Opportunities

The lunar surface is extremely harsh and current mineral processing and metal extraction technologies are not adequately equipped to address this environment. In this paper, we review the metals available for extraction and conditions at the lunar surface, and analyze the challenges associated with comminution, beneficiation, and metal extraction operations. The potential beneficial effects of the natural lunar conditions are also evaluated. This investigation concludes that process plant design on the lunar surface will favor lightweight, schematically simple flow sheets that enable automation, and that utilize the local environment wherever possible. The elimination of traditional comminution and beneficiation stages and their replacement with basic classification could be economically favorable. The most promising metal reduction pathways are identified as molten regolith electrolysis, and vacuum thermal dissociation, other processes with merit are hydrogen reduction, carbothermal reduction, and solid electrolysis. Finally, it is identified that a significant research effort in all areas of astrometallurgy will be required before industrial-sized extra-terrestrial mineral processing and metal extraction operations will be viable.