Bosch Process Technology Development for Air Revitalization
Closed-loop Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) aim to fully recover resources needed to keep astronauts alive in space– primarily, this means reclaiming oxygen (O2) to breathe and water (H2O) to drink from metabolic products. In air revitalization, this requires reclaiming the oxygen tied up in metabolic carbon dioxide (CO2). The current state of the art for the International Space Station (ISS) uses a Sabatier reaction in a system that has demonstrated a 50% O2 recovery rate. While there are several ongoing projects to improve the recovery of the Sabatier-based process, there are also projects working on an alternative approach centered around the Bosch process. Unlike the Sabatier, which has theoretical limits on maximum O2 recovery, the Bosch process can theoretically recover all of the O2 trapped in metabolic CO2 with only solid carbon (C) as a byproduct. However, the C generated in the process poses a significant challenge, introducing issues with clogging, contamination, and catalyst degradation that ultimately make the Bosch process unfeasible for flight at the current state of development. This poster overviews the promise and challenges of the Bosch process, prior investigations conducted, and current work towards advancing the TRL of Bosch-based O2 recovery systems and dealing with the (C) buildup. It also discusses potential uses of the carbon itself, which could prove to be a useful product in in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) applications.