Scientists have proposed a new way to extract oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. Article about it published in the Journal of Applied Physics.
The method, developed by specialists of the Paris Polytechnic School and colleagues from other countries, is based on the use of non-thermal plasma. In a cold plasma, free high-energy electrons and relatively cold non-ionizing gas molecules coexist, and this state is maintained, as a rule, by electric discharges. According to this idea, free electrons should help separate oxygen (which makes up the Martian atmosphere) from carbon dioxide, and then it needs to be filtered out using membranes. During the experiment, the prototype was able to convert up to one-third of carbon dioxide into oxygen under simulated Martian conditions at low temperature and pressure.
The authors of the development claim that it is relatively inexpensive, reliable, requires no power supply, and is easily scalable, making it more suitable for oxygen production than MOXIE on expeditions. MOXIE is a pilot plant for oxygen production in the Perseverance apparatus, capable of delivering more than two kilograms of gas per hour at a deadweight of 17 kilograms.
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