Research

Our work is organized around two main objectives: refining lunar regolith into an alumina-rich feedstock and reducing alumina to metallic aluminium using laser-driven processes.

Research objectives

Together, these two objectives form a pathway from raw lunar regolith to metallic aluminium and related products that can support future surface operations.

Overview of regolith refinement and alumina reduction objectives

Objective 1 – Regolith refinement: create an alumina-rich feedstock

Laser refining lunar regolith into an alumina-rich feedstock

Typical lunar regolith contains a mixture of oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, FeO, MgO, CaO, and others). Direct reduction of this mixture is inefficient, so our first objective is to refine the material and obtain a feedstock that is enriched in alumina.

We use high-power laser heating to drive the surface into melting and vaporization regimes. More volatile oxides leave the melt preferentially, changing the liquid composition over time. By controlling temperature, intensity, and background gas conditions, we aim to remove Fe- and Mg-bearing species while retaining as much Al2O3 as possible.

Key questions

  • How do vapor fluxes of individual oxides depend on temperature, pressure, and ambient gas?
  • To what extent can we selectively strip Fe- and Mg-rich phases while enriching alumina?
  • What processing histories (laser intensity, dwell time, spot size) yield feedstocks suitable for downstream reduction?

Objective 2 – Alumina reduction by laser ablation

Laser ablation experiments for alumina reduction

Once an alumina-rich feedstock is available, the second objective is to reduce Al2O3 to metallic aluminium. We explore laser ablation and laser-heated reduction schemes in which a concentrated energy source drives the reaction in a controlled gas environment.

Possible pathways include carbothermic or hydrogen-assisted reduction, as well as concepts where the ablation plume itself participates in transporting oxygen away from the reaction zone. Diagnostics such as pyrometry and emission spectroscopy are used to link plasma and plume behaviour to the formation of metallic phases.

Key questions

  • Under which temperatures and gas compositions can Al2O3 be efficiently reduced by laser-driven processes?
  • How do plume dynamics and ablation regime (mild, explosive, hydrodynamic) influence metal yield and energy efficiency?
  • How can these processes be scaled and integrated into continuous or semi-continuous production systems on the Moon?