Produce oxygen from carbon dioxide
A new device designed to produce oxygen from carbon-dioxide has had a successful first trial. Astronauts could potentially use this on interplanetary journeys to places like Mars and beyond. Researchers in the U.S. developed this device, led by a Greek scientist.
Konstantinos Yapi, owner of the California Institute of Technology, presented the new research paper in Nature Communications. The paper derives from a previous research. In 2017, Konstantinos Yapi had found an explanation for why comets produce oxygen gas. By conducting laboratory experiments, they’ve shown how molecular oxygen can be produced on the surface of comets.
2017 Findings
Mr. Yapi’s study of comets led to a new kind of chemical reaction. This type of reaction doesn’t always require thermal energy, instead, it occurs with kinetic energy. They found that molecular oxygen can also be produced through reactions of carbon dioxide with a gold leaf. When carbon dioxide molecules hit the gold leaf, they release oxygen. This process breaks down the carbon dioxide.
The Greek scientist thought about the possibility of oxygen being created on Mars when dust particles break apart and collide with carbon dioxide molecules.
The reactor device
He designed a device that is capable of converting the molecules into ions and then accelerate the charged molecules using an electric field. When they crash with a high speed against a surface, oxygen is produced. The same can happen, as well, at a slower speed. That explains why there is a small amount of oxygen high in the Martian atmosphere.
He told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, “Our understanding of the new reaction allowed us to design a small plasma reactor, a portable oxygen-producing device the size of a coffee cup, that is able to operate in the low-pressure Martian atmosphere, which utilizes other processes, as well as this reaction, to produce much more oxygen. This technology is now available for testing and provides a viable alternative to breathing on Mars.”
The reactor produces only one to two molecules of oxygen for every 100 molecules of dioxide accelerated. However, he believes that the device can be improved in the future to create enough air for astronauts on Mars.
On Earth, it could be used to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping advance the fight against climate change.
“Is it the final device? No. Is it a device that could solve the problem on Mars? No, but it is a device that can do something very difficult,” the Greek scientist noted and added: “We’re doing some unbelievable things with this reactor.”
The research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis.
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Author: PC-GR
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