A Missouri S&T research team led by Dr. Frank D. Han has published a new study in Acta Astronautica that explores a method to extract aluminum from lunar regolith using molten salt electrolysis. This approach could enable long-term lunar missions and sustainable lunar surface construction.
The article, titled “Extraction of Aluminum from Lunar Regolith through Molten Salt Electrolysis,” is now available online via Elsevier:
🔗 Read the article
This technique leverages high-temperature electrochemical processing to produce aluminum using in-situ resources abundant on the Moon. The work supports the vision of developing sustainable space infrastructure by eliminating the need to transport construction materials from Earth.
“Our work provides a feasible path toward processing lunar regolith to support construction and manufacturing on the Moon,” says Jacob Ortega, a Ph.D. student and Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellow at S&T. “It’s an important step in realizing a sustainable lunar settlement.”
Authors and Affiliations:
- Jacob N. Ortega, Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellow, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Missouri S&T
- Todd P. Sander, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Missouri S&T
- Dr. Jeffrey D. Smith, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Missouri S&T
- Dr. Fateme Rezaei, Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami
- Dr. David J. Bayless, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Missouri S&T
- Dr. William Schonberg, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, Missouri S&T
- Dr. Daniel S. Stutts, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Missouri S&T
- Dr. Frank D. Han, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Missouri S&T
Citation:
Jacob N. Ortega, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David J. Bayless, William Schonberg, Daniel S. Stutts, Frank D. Han,
Extraction of Aluminum from Lunar Regolith through Molten Salt Electrolysis, Acta Astronautica, 2025.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.04.064