Carbon or Hydrogen - How best to process Ilmenite?

I'm not out to publish a paper; in fact I'm not doing any original
research at all. What I am doing is a review of the literature
solely as an intellectual exercise for my own benefit. I want to
understand how to accomplish the goal of extending civilization into
space and I'm trying to pull together many different research topics
and form my own synthesis.

I'm looking to this group and to spacesettlers as a forum for help,
because being new to this topic, (or more accurately, having had an
interest in this for the last 20 years, I now find I have the time
to pursue a detailed study of the matter,) I'd like to engage in a
dialogue with other enthusiasts who are able to get into the nitty
gritty details, rather than the dreamers who state the future will
be a certain way, and as a reader of the posts, I'm stuck with
people's fantasys.

So, I really haven't seen posters to this group backing up all of
their references with literature citiations, but sure, I'll take the
bait. Of course, I'm filtering what I read and condensing different
ideas and conflicting ideas to reach my own personal synthesis.

So, if others would like to join me into more in-depth analysis,
then let's go.

Here is the cite for the carbothermal reaction that I made reference
to. Rest assured, the rest of the material that I mention, I've
actually seen references to it. I just don't catalog those
references because I have no intention of writing a paper :)

http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?
bibcode85lbsa.conf..559C&db_key=AST&page_ind=8&plate_select=NO&dat
a_type=GIF&type=SCREEN_GIF

If I can recreate some of the other sources, I mean find my way back
to them on the web, then I'll post those sources as well.

> Victoria (?),
>
> If this is true it is most interesting. But we need more info....
>
> > >From my reading of the material that's often quoted about the
best
> > way to process ilmenite, there is a lot of reference to hydrogen
> > being used, but I can't really see the benefits.
>
> Which "material" are you referring to ? We cannot judge the
validity
> of those reports until we know who wrote them and in what fora.
> Please provide a list of relevant references in standard literature
> format, i.e. for each include author(s), date, title, publication
name,
> volume and issue number, and page numbers. Also (or instead),
please
> provide hyperlinks to published work in this area.
>
> > Carbon will reduce ilmenite and combine with 1.25 times its own
mass
> > per heating cycle, thereby eliminating a need to use the furnace
for
>
> An interesting observation. What is your source for this data ?
>
> Please provide a list of relevant references in standard literature
> format, i.e. for each include author(s), date, title, publication
name,
> volume and issue number, and page numbers. Also (or instead),
please
> provide hyperlinks to published work in this area.
>
> > multiple heating cycles as would be required with hydrogen,
because
> > hydrogen is limited to only .4-.9 times its own mass.
> >
> An interesting observation. What is your source for this data ?
>
> Please provide a list of relevant references in standard literature
> format, i.e. for each include author(s), date, title, publication
name,
> volume and issue number, and page numbers. Also (or instead),
please
> provide hyperlinks to published work in this area.
>
> > The technology for processing steel and lowering the carbon
content
> > are well established.
>
> An interesting observation. What is your source for this data ?
>
> Please provide a list of relevant references in standard literature
> format, i.e. for each include author(s), date, title, publication
name,
> volume and issue number, and page numbers. Also (or instead),
please
> provide hyperlinks to published work in this area.
>
> > Nobody is processing steel with hydrogen
> > reduction. The residual hydrogen leaves the steel very brittle.
>
> An interesting observation. What is your source for this data ?
>
> Please provide a list of relevant references in standard literature
> format, i.e. for each include author(s), date, title, publication
name,
> volume and issue number, and page numbers. Also (or instead),
please
> provide hyperlinks to published work in this area.
>
> > I would say that the primary use for hydrogen on the lunar
surface
> > should be to produce water. Carbon should be used for the
materials
> > processing and the resultant carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
can
> > be separated into their constituent elements for re-use.
> >
> > I don't understand why hydrogen is touted so aggresively.
> >
> By whom is it touted ?
>
> Please provide a list of relevant references in standard literature
> format, i.e. for each include author(s), date, title, publication
name,
> volume and issue number, and page numbers. Also (or instead),
please
> provide hyperlinks to published work in this area.
>
> Once we have reviewed your references, then we could assess your
> conclusions. If your conclusions are accurate they might be
worthy of