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#1 2026-07-04 17:28:53
- Void
- Member
- Registered: 2011-12-29
- Posts: 9,641
Plasma-Based Gas Splitting In Mars Like Conditions.
I will defer to the moderators, if they should like to attach this material into an existing topic and delete this topic.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=Plasma+me … pc=EDGEXST
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Plasma-Based CO₂ Splitting for Mars ISRU
Plasma-based CO₂ splitting is a promising in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) method for Mars, where the planet’s thick CO₂-rich atmosphere can be converted into breathable oxygen (O₂) and fuel-grade carbon monoxide (CO) without relying on Earth-supplied propellants.How it works
On Mars, the atmosphere is ~95% CO₂ at low pressure (~600 Pa). Non-thermal plasmas—especially microwave and pulsed plasma jets—can dissociate CO₂ into O₂ and CO at modest temperatures and pressures compared to thermal methods MIT OpenCourseWare+1.Electron impact: High-energy electrons collide with CO₂ molecules, directly breaking bonds or exciting vibrational modes, lowering the effective dissociation energy activities.esa.int+1.
Vibrational excitation: Under Martian low pressure, vibrational energy transfer is efficient, making CO₂ dissociation more favorable activities.esa.int.
Synergy with membranes: In the ESA PERFORMER project, plasma-generated O₂ is enhanced through ion-conducting membranes, which also benefit from plasma heat (≥600 K) nebula.esa.int.
Advantages for Mars
High efficiency: Microwave and pulsed plasma systems can achieve CO₂ conversion rates of over 100 g O₂/hour in repetitive operation National Center for Biotechnology Information.Compatibility with renewables: Solid-state microwave plasmas can run directly on intermittent solar power without energy storage activities.esa.int.
Dual output: O₂ for life support and CO for fuel or propellant nebula.esa.int+1.
Farming potential: CO₂ splitting can be paired with nitrogen fixation in the same plasma, enabling fertilizer production for Martian agriculture activities.esa.int.
Challenges
*Gas separation: The plasma exhaust contains O₂, CO, CO₂, and nitrogen oxides. Separation requires downstream technologies such as gas compression/liquefaction, solid oxide electrolysis, or solvent stages activities.esa.int+1.Reactor durability: Swirling gas flows and surface-wave plasmas help prevent erosion of containment vessels activities.esa.int.
Integration: Coupling plasma reactors with ISRU systems for propellant, life support, and agriculture is still under development.
Research and development
ESA PERFORMER and University of Antwerp studies are testing microwave plasma reactors for CO₂ and nitrogen conversion activities.esa.int+1.MIT research is parametrically exploring nanosecond pulsed plasma reactors for Mars ISRU, optimizing conversion, efficiency, and energy input MIT OpenCourseWare.
Laboratory demonstrations show plasma CO₂ dissociation and O₂ pumping through membranes, proving proof-of-concept nebula.esa.int+1.
In summary, plasma-based CO₂ splitting for Mars is a mature concept with strong experimental validation. It offers a compact, renewable-powered route to produce oxygen and fuel from the planet’s atmosphere, but successful deployment will require solving gas separation and system integration challenges.
I intend to try to add to this work:
1) Apply it to water vapor.
2) A different gas separation method(s).
To apply it to water this tool can be useful: https://endmemo.com/chem/vaporpressurewater.php
Water vapor in a plasma reactor will react to temperatures in the chamber and also gasses it is mixed with.
So, I am presuming that if you started with a water vapor chamber at 5.5 millibars on Mars you could split H20 into O2 and H2. But then the water vapor would mixed/dissolved into a solution of O2, H2, and H20, perhaps OH as well.
In this case, a microwave method is considered: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … 2024000039
Quote:
Plasma-based conversion of martian atmosphere into life-sustaining chemicals: The benefits of utilizing martian ambient pressure
Seán Kelly a b 1
,
Elizabeth Mercer a 1
,
Yury Gorbanev a
,
Igor Fedirchyk a
,
Claudia Verheyen a c
,
Klaus Werner d
, Pluton Pullumbi e, Aidan Cowley f, Annemie Bogaerts
Quote:
Highlights
•
Plasma technology for in-situ resource CO2 utilization on Mars.
•
Life sustaining chemical production from Martian atmosphere explored.
•
Utilizing native low pressure gives production boost and energy cost reduction.
•
O2: very promising energy cost of ∼0.013 kWh/g at rate of ∼76 g/h.
•
NOx: fixing the small Nitrogen content of Mars atmosphere, production of ∼3 g/h.
Quote:
Abstract
We explored the potential of plasma-based In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) for Mars through the conversion of Martian atmosphere (∼96% CO2, 2% N2, and 2% Ar) into life-sustaining chemicals. As the Martian surface pressure is about 1% of the Earth’s surface pressure, it is an ideal environment for plasma-based gas conversion using microwave reactors. At 1000 W and 10 Ln/min (normal liters per minute), we produced ∼76 g/h of O2 and ∼3 g/h of NOx using a 2.45 GHz waveguided reactor at 25 mbar, which is ∼3.5 times Mars ambient pressure. The energy cost required to produce O2 was ∼0.013 kWh/g, which is very promising compared to recently concluded MOXIE experiments on the Mars surface. This marks a crucial step towards realizing the extension of human exploration.
Keywords
ISRU; Mars; Microwave plasma; Conversion
I will assert that if this plasma process can act in a similar way with water vapor, then this also may be very valuable.
I have two proposed versions of methods to separate the gasses which might work and if they do, would remove the necessity of membraines.
This work will probably apply to this toppic: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=11384
"Index» Terraformation» AquaWorlds (Water Holding and Water Transporting Methods)"
And this topic: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 67#p234367
"Index» Life support systems» New Food Sources. Precision Fermentation, Cellular, Synthetic"
And probably other topics as well.
In my next post I will discuss how I think that gas separations can be achieved, at least in some cases, by gravitation and the inhibiting of convection.
Ending Pending 
Last edited by Void (2026-07-04 18:01:19)
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#2 2026-07-04 17:55:39
- tahanson43206
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- Registered: 2018-04-27
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Re: Plasma-Based Gas Splitting In Mars Like Conditions.
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#3 2026-07-04 18:06:41
- Void
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- Registered: 2011-12-29
- Posts: 9,641
Re: Plasma-Based Gas Splitting In Mars Like Conditions.
The separation method I am going to pursue, is based on a story of how Helium is separated from other gasses in a mix that has come from a well.
Query: "How is Helium gas separated from a gas mix from a well, using flotation of the Helium?"
https://www.bing.com/search?q=How%20is% … 0E08BC4485
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Separating Helium from Well Gas Using Flotation
Helium can be separated from natural gas using flotation—a process that exploits differences in density and solubility between helium and other gases. In a well gas stream, helium is typically present in small concentrations (often <0.3% by volume) alongside methane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and water vapor pdf.benchchem.com.How Flotation Works
Flotation separation relies on the fact that helium is much lighter than most other gases in the mixture. In a gas mixture, helium tends to rise to the top of the column or vessel, while heavier gases (like methane, nitrogen, and CO₂) remain at the bottom. This density difference can be enhanced by:Cooling the gas to increase the solubility of heavier gases in the liquid phase, leaving helium enriched in the vapor phase.
Using a liquid medium (e.g., liquid nitrogen or hydrocarbons) where helium’s low solubility allows it to remain gaseous and float to the top.
In practice, flotation is often combined with other separation technologies for higher efficiency.
Integration with Other Technologies
While flotation alone can enrich helium, industrial systems typically combine it with:Cryogenic distillation: Cooling the gas to very low temperatures so helium remains gaseous longer than other components, allowing it to be drawn off eureka.patsnap.com.
Membrane separation: Using hollow fiber membranes where helium’s small atomic size allows it to permeate faster than other gases, enriching the permeate stream Air Liquide Advanced Separations.
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA): Adsorbing heavier gases onto selective beds, leaving helium in the outlet stream Air Liquide Advanced Separations+1.
For example, Air Liquide’s modular helium purifier uses multiple membrane stages and PSA to remove nitrogen, CO₂, CH₄, H₂S, and other impurities, producing high-purity helium Air Liquide Advanced Separations. Linde’s plants combine cryogenic recovery with PSA for high-purity (>99.999%) helium www.linde-engineering.com.
Practical Considerations
Low concentration: Flotation is most effective when helium is already enriched relative to other gases, often after initial nitrogen rejection.Energy use: Cooling and compression steps in combined systems require significant energy.
Scale: Flotation is more common in small-scale or pilot systems; large-scale recovery often uses cryogenic or membrane/PSA systems.
In summary: Flotation of helium from well gas works by exploiting its low density and low solubility, often in combination with cryogenic distillation, membrane separation, or PSA to achieve high recovery and purity. This approach is especially useful when helium is already enriched in the feed, but for small concentrations, it is typically part of a multi-stage separation train.
Query: "What is the specific gravity of Helium relative to Hydrogen?"
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Specific Gravity of Helium Relative to Hydrogen
Helium’s specific gravity relative to hydrogen is about 0.138 when compared to air, but to find the ratio to hydrogen directly, we use the molar mass relationship.Step-by-step calculation:
Molar masses
Helium (He): 4.0026 g/mol
Hydrogen (H₂): 2.01588 g/mol
Specific gravity formula for gases
For ideal gases at the same temperature and pressure, specific gravity is the ratio of molar masses:SG
He vs H
2
=
M
He
M
H
2
Substitute values
SG
He vs H
2
=
4.0026
2.01588
≈
1.985
Result:
Helium is about 1.985 times heavier than hydrogen gas in terms of specific gravity.Interpretation:
This means helium is roughly twice as heavy as hydrogen per mole.
In buoyancy terms, helium will rise in air because it is much lighter than air (air’s molar mass is ~28.97 g/mol), but it is still denser than hydrogen, so hydrogen is the lightest gas available.
Summary:
Specific gravity of helium vs. hydrogen: ≈ 1.985
Helium is about 2× heavier than hydrogen under the same conditions. The Engineering ToolBox+1
So, Mars supplies gravity at 1/3rd that of Earth, so temperature driven convection will be reduced.
Further, in our separation chamber, we can arrange that the top is warmer in a continuum than the bottom.
And we might put baffles of cloth as horizontal layering devices. (They may not need to be as membrane separators, they are just to to discourage convection).
Explosion is a concern, but the pressure will be very low. It may be that H2 and O2 will play nice in this thing, particularly if one floats up and one floats down.
It might also be possible to add Argon or another gas to the chamber to inhibit explosive concerns.
A version for Earth use, would have a central vacuum chamber like a drum and upwards and downward continuations with thin plates, separated by interior stand-offs to keep open a gap for the gasses to pass though.
I feel that these devices might also work well in orbit: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 90#p240090
OK, this would be a mass production process in the asteroid belt to make something like this: 
In this diagram the brown drum originally contains Liquid Methane, which is used and used up in a propulsion method. After that it could be turned into a low-pressure chamber with rather low synthetic gravity. A plasma method then could split H20 or CO2. The slow rotation will reduce convection. Also, a temperature inversion where Up is warmer than Down, may assist the separation.
Chemicals pushed into disequilibrium could be used for various needs such as: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 67#p234367
Title: "Index» Life support systems» New Food Sources. Precision Fermentation, Cellular, Synthetic"
Ending Pending
Last edited by Void (2026-07-04 18:51:35)
Is it possible that the root of political science claims is to produce white collar jobs for people who paid for an education and do not want a real job?
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