Concentration of Lunar Plagioclase for Solar Cells Fabrication. An Isru Conceptual Architecture

Abstract

Solar panels are required on the Moon to provide power for human activities, especially mining and civil operations. To provide enough power and maintain human settlements working, a technical solution known as the Tall Lunar Tower (TLT) claims to be able to capture sunlight 93% of the time through solar panel structures and provide 50 kW per tower. A typical photovoltaic panel is made of 76% glass, 10% polymer, 8% aluminum, 5% silicon, and 1% other metals. Delivering these materials from Earth is expensive and risky. Fortunately, lunar regolith contains large amounts of silicon and aluminum oxides and silicates, thus, it would be feasible to use the resources in situ for metal production, hence, we just need to transport polymers, wire, and minor components from Earth. This article presents an ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) architecture to provide plagioclase concentrate, the economic lunar ore for aluminum and silicon extraction. The document details engineering aspects and technological solutions for lunar mining, including excavation, transport, and beneficiation operations; based on a hypothetical construction and deployment of TLT at the South Pole. Processing techniques such as screening and magnetic separation are discussed to evaluate their advantages and drawbacks to obtain an expected plagioclase concentration of 70% grade with 18% recovery. Finally, an outline of recommendations for industrial manufacture is discussed, considering the sequential lunar metals extraction and the quality required.