Dealing with Moon dust

As scientists and engineers figure out how to return astronauts to the
Moon, set up habitats, and mine lunar soil to produce anything from
building materials to rocket fuels, they are scratching their heads over
what to do about Moon dust.

This troublesome material is every-where on the Moon's surface. The powdery
grit gets into everything, jamming seals and abrading spacesuit fabric. It
also readily picks up an electrostatic charge. This characteristic causes
it to float or levitate off the lunar surface and stick to faceplates and
camera lenses. The fine dust might even be toxic.

https://www.space.com/2079-solving-settlement-problems-dealing-moon-dust.html

....

If orbital space settlements are planned around the moon, it would be
important to obtain as much of the raw material as possible from the Moon.

I understand that one way of putting raw material on the Moon into orbit is
with the help of Mass Drivers.

Another way would be to use solar energy to separate Oxygen from Silicon
Dioxide which seems to be abundant on the Moon, and use Silicon powder and
Oxygen in specially designed rocket motors.....??

Regards,

Selvaraj

PS: The enthalpy of formation of silicon is -911 kJ/mol. This means that
converting the elements Si and O2 to SiO2 gives out a LOT of energy. To
reverse this, we have to put that energy back (and some more, courtesy of
thermodynamics) which really means electricity or very high temperature.
However at high temperature you have a gas containing Si, SiO, SiO2 and O2.
Separating out the oxygen would be a substantial chemical engineering
challenge.

The only practical way I can think of is (as others suggest) using carbon
to separate the oxygen atoms from the silica ones in the form of a gas CO,
which is easy to separate from solid Si, and then further chemistry to get
the oxygen out of of the CO. If oxygen was a rare element and we had (for
some reason) plenty of carbon, then this would be a fairly heroic way of
getting oxygen for chemists to play with.

https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-chemical-reaction-you-can-use-to-separate-the-oxygen-out-of-sand-Silicon-Dioxide

PS 2:

*Making Oxygen on the Moon*

*MIT Professor Donald R. Sadoway shows molten oxide electrolysis can
produce life-supporting oxygen.*

Techniques of molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) can stretch from refining
structural metals on earth to producing oxygen to support life on the moon,
MIT Professor Donald R. Sadoway says. That's because the same process that
extracts iron and other metals from their metal oxides releases oxygen as a
byproduct.

There is sufficient metallic oxide content in the lunar surface to use
molten oxide electrolysis to make oxygen
from iron and
sodium oxides, as well as from more plentiful aluminosilicates, oxygen-rich
solid compounds of aluminum and silicon. "It doesn't matter where you go on
the moon, you'll be able to use MOE and make oxygen," says Sadoway, who is
John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry in the Department of
Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Sadoway spoke Oct. 21, 2014, at
the Materials Day Symposium, "New Frontiers in Metals Processing," hosted
by the Materials Processing Center at MIT.

Sadoway and MIT colleagues have been studying molten oxide electrolysis
techniques for separating a variety of metals
,
from iron to titanium for carbon-free production in a single step. His team
has made carbon-free nickel, iron and ferrochromium, among others. "What I
hope I've shown is this idea is really a platform," Sadoway says.

*Lunar Oxygen*

Since people need to breathe in several pounds of oxygen per day to sustain
life, "if you're going to put people on the moon, you need oxygen; you need
it for human life," Sadoway says.

Using a meteor sample from Arizona as a proxy, Sadoway determined the
approximate percentages of metal oxides in lunar surface materials and
modeled their efficiency at yielding oxygen. "You get the cheapest oxygen
from the sodium (oxide, Na2O) and the iron (oxides, Fe2O3 or FeO), then
there is a 1.5-volt silicon reduction peak, and you get pretty good
utilization depending on what your operating temperature is," he says.

Oxygen is also needed as a rocket propellant, so being able to make oxygen
on the moon could provide oxygen for the return trip and lead to its use as
a base for future missions to Mars. "If you could generate oxygen on the
moon, you only need a one way shipment, and you can come back," Sadoway
says.

Sadoway's research shows that a yield of about 300 grams of oxygen per
kilogram of lunar surface material, which is called regolith, is possible
from silicon dioxide reduction at 1,600 degrees Celsius. Despite its high
cost, an iridium anode would be the best solution for molten oxide
electrolysis on the moon, he suggests. "If you're a quarter million miles
from home and you need six pounds of oxygen, you'll pay anything for it,"
he says.

https://mpc-www.mit.edu/mpc/item/479-making-oxygen-on-the-moon#&ts=undefined

This troublesome material is every-where on the Moon's surface. The powdery grit gets into everything, jamming seals and abrading spacesuit fabric. It also readily picks up an electrostatic charge. This characteristic causes it to float or levitate off the lunar surface and stick to faceplates and camera lenses. The fine dust might even be toxic.
https://www.space.com/2079-solving-settlement-problems-dealing-moon-dust.html
....
If orbital space settlements are planned around the moon, it would be important to obtain as much of the raw material as possible from the Moon.
I understand that one way of putting raw material on the Moon into orbit is with the help of Mass Drivers.
Another way would be to use solar energy to separate Oxygen from Silicon Dioxide which seems to be abundant on the Moon, and use Silicon powder and Oxygen in specially designed rocket motors.....??
Regards,
Selvaraj
PS:
The enthalpy of formation of silicon is -911 kJ/mol. This means that converting the elements Si and O2 to SiO2 gives out a LOT of energy. To reverse this, we have to put that energy back (and some more, courtesy of thermodynamics) which really means electricity or very high temperature. However at high temperature you have a gas containing Si, SiO, SiO2 and O2. Separating out the oxygen would be a substantial chemical engineering challenge.
The only practical way I can think of is (as others suggest) using carbon to separate the oxygen atoms from the silica ones in the form of a gas CO, which is easy to separate from solid Si, and then further chemistry to get the oxygen out of of the CO. If oxygen was a rare element and we had (for some reason) plenty of carbon, then this would be a fairly heroic way of getting oxygen for chemists to play with.
https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-chemical-reaction-you-can-use-to-separate-the-oxygen-out-of-sand-Silicon-Dioxide
PS 2:
Making Oxygen on the Moon
MIT Professor Donald R. Sadoway shows moltenoxide electrolysis can produce life-supporting oxygen.
Techniques of molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) can stretch fromrefining structural metals on earth to producing oxygen to support life on themoon, MIT Professor Donald R. Sadoway says. That's because the same processthat extracts iron and other metals from their metal oxides releases oxygen asa byproduct.
There is sufficient metallic oxide content in the lunar surfaceto use molten oxide electrolysis to

make oxygen

from iron and sodium oxides, as well as frommore plentiful aluminosilicates, oxygen-rich solid compounds of aluminum andsilicon. "It doesn't matter where you go on the moon, you'll be able touse MOE and make oxygen," says Sadoway, who is John F. Elliott Professorof Materials Chemistry in the Department of Materials Science and Engineeringat MIT. Sadoway spoke Oct. 21, 2014, at the Materials Day Symposium, "NewFrontiers in Metals Processing," hosted by the Materials Processing Centerat MIT.
Sadoway and MIT colleagues have been studying molten oxideelectrolysis techniques for separating a

variety of metals
, fromiron to titanium for carbon-free production in a single step. His team has madecarbon-free nickel, iron and ferrochromium, among others. "What I hopeI've shown is this idea is really a platform," Sadoway says.
Lunar Oxygen
Since people need to breathe in several pounds of oxygen per dayto sustain life, "if you're going to put people on the moon, you needoxygen; you need it for human life," Sadoway says.
Using a meteor sample from Arizona as a proxy, Sadowaydetermined the approximate percentages of metal oxides in lunar surfacematerials and modeled their efficiency at yielding oxygen. "You get thecheapest oxygen from the sodium (oxide, Na
2
O) and the iron(oxides, Fe
2
O
3

or FeO), then there isa 1.5-volt silicon reduction peak, and you get pretty good utilizationdepending on what your operating temperature is," he says.
Oxygen is also needed as a rocket propellant, so being able tomake oxygen on the moon could provide oxygen for the return trip and lead toits use as a base for future missions to Mars. "If you could generateoxygen on the moon, you only need a one way shipment, and you can comeback," Sadoway says.
Sadoway's research shows that a yield of about 300 grams ofoxygen per kilogram of lunar surface material, which is called regolith, ispossible from silicon dioxide reduction at 1,600 degrees Celsius. Despite itshigh cost, an iridium anode would be the best solution for molten oxideelectrolysis on the moon, he suggests. "If you're a quarter million milesfrom home and you need six pounds of oxygen, you'll pay anything for it,"he says.
https://mpc-www.mit.edu/mpc/item/479-making-oxygen-on-the-moon#&ts=undefined