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| Lunar Base(CGI) |
In a recent study by the European Space Agency (ESA), it has been found out that human urine would one day become a useful ingredient in the making of 'Lunar Concrete' that would be required to lay foundations on Moon.
The ESA has informed researchers that in a recent study that they sponsored, it was found out that the principal organic compound in human urine, which is Urea would make the mixture for a lunar concrete more malleable before it hardens into its solid final form.
Thus, if humans in future plan to build foundations on the moon, it would greatly reduce the need to launch supplies from Earth and would facilitate the use of the resources available on site, namely, the powdery soil of the moon.
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| Lunar Base(representation) |
The main ingredient in so called “lunar concrete” would be a powdery soil found on the Moon’s surface known as lunar regolith. ESA said urea, which possesses the ability to break hydrogen bonds and decrease the viscosity of fluid mixtures, would limit the amount of water necessary in the recipe.
“Thanks to future lunar inhabitants, the 1.5 liters (3.2 pints) of liquid waste a person generates each day could become a promising by-product for space exploration,” the ESA said in a statement.
On Earth, urea is used as an industrial fertilizer and a raw material by chemical and medical companies.
“The hope is that astronaut urine could be essentially used as it is on a future lunar base, with minor adjustments to the water content,” study co-author Marlies Arnhof said in the ESA statement. “This is very practical, and avoids the need to further complicate the sophisticated water recycling systems in space.”
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