British scientists have achieved the “most important goal” in making life on Mars possible for humans – by using a material that had been regarded as useless.
Using what was considered a waste product by NASA, a team of researchers have found the key to clean energy and sustainable technology production on Mars.
Lead author Dr Conor Boland, from the University of Sussex, said: “We are optimistic of the feasibility of this process on Mars, as it requires only naturally occurring materials – everything we used could, in theory, be replicated on the red planet.
“Arguably this is the most important goal in making the Martian colony sustainable from the outset.”
To achieve their breakthrough, which is published in Advanced Functional Materials, the team used the same method that NASA uses to extract water from Martian materials.
The process produces a by-product called andhydrite which was considered to be waste but has turned out to be extremely valuable.
The team used this by-product and processed it into nanobelts – essentially tagliatelle-shaped materials – demonstrating their potential to provide clean energy and sustainable electronics.
The process is extremely sustainable as, at every step, water could be continuously collected and recycled.
Dr Boland added: “This study shows that the potential is quite literally out of this world for nanomaterials.
“Our study builds off recent research performed by NASA and takes what was considered waste, essentially lumps of rock, and turns it into transformative nanomaterials for a range of applications from creating clean hydrogen fuel to developing an electronic device similar to a transistor, to creating an additive to textiles to increase their robustness.
“This opens avenues for sustainable technology – and building – on Mars but also highlights the broader potential for eco-friendly breakthroughs here on Earth.”
Nanomaterials are incredibly tiny components thousands of times smaller than a human hair.
While full-scale electronics production may be impractical on Mars now due to the lack of clean rooms and sterile conditions, later down the line this discovery may still have a profound effect on sustainable energy production on the red planet.
It may also hold promise for clean and sustainable energy production right here on Earth in the meantime.
