ISRU CO2 Recovery

Human exploration of Mars and unmanned sample return missions can benefit greatly from the resources available on Mars. The first major step of any Mars in-situ propellant production system is the acquisition of carbon dioxide and its compression for further processing. TDA Research Inc. proposes to develop a compact, lightweight, advanced sorbent-based compressor to recover high-pressure, high purity CO2 from the Martian atmosphere. The system eliminates the need for a mechanical pump, increasing the reliability with relatively low power consumption. TDA’s system uses a new, high capacity sorbent that selectively adsorbs CO2 at 0.1 psia and regenerates by temperature swing, producing a continuous, high purity CO2 flow at pressure (> 15 psia). In the Phase I work, we successfully completed bench-scale proof-of-concept demonstrations, elevating the TRL to 3. In Phase II, we will further optimize the sorbent and scale-up its production using advanced manufacturing techniques such as continuous microwave synthesis. We will carry out multiple adsorption/desorption cycles to demonstrate the sorbent's cycle life. Finally, we will design and fabricate a sub-scale prototype to fully demonstrate the technology under simulated Martian atmospheres (TRL-5); this unit will be sent to NASA for further testing and evaluation. More »