Apollo 11 ilmenite revisited

Abstract

An account is given of the problems associated with beneficiation of the high-Ti regolith represented by Apollo 11's ilmenite sample. Magnetic and electrostatic separation, combined with sizing to reject all but the best fractions of the lunar regolith, will be essential; the production of high-grade ilmenite concentrates on the scale required for lunar oxygen production may still, however, be unachievable. These findings suggest that ilmenite production directly from high-Ti-content basalt may be a superior alternative.