Scientists are looking beyond our planet for ways to acquire the materials needed to establish a self-sustaining presence in space as humanity gets closer to the possibility of living and working millions of miles from Earth on planets like Mars. Biomining is an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient method of extracting useful elements by breaking down rocks with microbes to make soil or provide nutrients. Microbes are tiny organisms that perform a wide range of functions, such as bacteria and fungi. Some microbes, for example, have Bio-mining abilities that could be beneficial to humans.
According to a study, the first mining experiments conducted in space could pave the way for new technologies to aid humans in exploring and establishing settlements in distant worlds. Astronauts on the International Space Station have conducted tests that indicate bacteria can extract useful materials from rocks on Mars and the Moon. The findings could aid efforts to develop methods of obtaining metals and minerals such as iron and magnesium, which are required for space survival.
Researchers believe bacteria could one day be used to break down rocks into the soil for crop cultivation or to provide minerals for life support systems that produce air and water. Over a ten-year period, scientists at the University of Edinburgh’s UK Centre for Astrobiology created matchbox-sized mining devices known as bio-mining reactors.
The first mining experiments conducted in space could pave the way for new technologies to aid humans in exploring and establishing settlements in distant worlds.
Charles Cockell
Eighteen of the devices were delivered to the space station, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of around 250 miles, aboard a SpaceX rocket launched in July 2019 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US.
Each device was loaded with small pieces of basalt, a common rock on the Moon and Mars, and submerged in the bacterial solution. The three-week experiment was carried out in zero gravity to simulate environments on Mars and the Moon.
According to the team’s findings, bacteria could increase the removal of rare earth elements from basalt in lunar and Martian landscapes by up to 400%. Rare earth elements are widely used in various technologies such as mobile phones, computers, and magnets.
Microbes are also routinely used on Earth in the process of biomining, which extracts economically valuable elements such as copper and gold from rocks. According to the researchers, the new experiments have also provided new data on how gravity influences the growth of microbe communities on Earth.
The research, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, was funded by the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency. The Science and Technology Facilities Council, which is part of UK Research and Innovation, funded the study. Kayser Italia designed and built the miniature mining reactors used in the experiment.
The project’s leader, Professor Charles Cockell of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics and Astronomy, stated: “Our findings lend credence to the scientific and technical viability of biologically enhanced elemental mining throughout the Solar System. While mining these elements in space and bringing them back to Earth is not economically feasible, space biomining could potentially support a self-sustaining human presence in space.
“For example, our findings suggest that the construction of robotic and human-tended mines in the Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon, which contains rocks with enriched concentrations of rare earth elements, could be one fruitful direction of human scientific and economic development beyond Earth.”
Dr Rosa Santomartino, a postdoctoral scientist in the University’s School of Physics and Astronomy who worked on the project, stated: “Microorganisms are extremely adaptable, and as we travel further into space, they can be used to perform a wide range of tasks. Elemental mining is one of them.”
“It is wonderful to see the scientific findings of BioRock published,” said Libby Jackson, Human Exploration Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency. Experiments like this demonstrate how the United Kingdom, through the United Kingdom Space Agency, is playing a critical role in the European Space Agency’s exploration program. Findings from experiments like BioRock will not only aid in the development of technology that will allow humans to further explore our Solar System, but will also assist scientists from a variety of disciplines in gaining knowledge that will benefit all of us on Earth.”
