About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Frontiers in Solidification X
|
| Presentation Title |
Project Tethys: Purifying Martian Brines |
| Author(s) |
Lydia Ellen Tonani-Penha, Tuan H Vu, Steven Vance, Robert Hodyss, Robert W Hyers |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Lydia Ellen Tonani-Penha |
| Abstract Scope |
Long-term human habitation on Mars requires oxygen, water, and other resources. The absence of an abundant potable water supply is a mission-critical obstacle to future Mars missions. Water was found on Mars in the mid-latitude’s subsurface and on the planet’s poles as brines containing magnesium perchlorate and other soluble salts. Project Tethys aims to develop a prototype capable of purifying Martian brine to provide water for astronauts and a raw material for extraction of oxygen and hydrogen by electrolysis. Brine compositions containing sulfate, chloride, and perchlorate compounds have been selected for prototype calibration and are being modeled using Reaktoro. Thermophysical properties and phase data regarding magnesium and calcium perchlorate solutions have been measured at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Current work includes evaluating different freeze crystallization methods for water purification and in-situ resource utilization that incorporates evaporation of concentrated brine to improve energy-efficiency and to extract perchlorate compounds for fuel production. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Solidification, Phase Transformations, Extraction and Processing |