Artificial ecosystem which recycles urine, faeces and CO2 from the respiration of the crew, and provides water, food and oxygen. it takes waste from the astronaut (the exhaled CO2, faeces, kitchen waste,..) and then slowly transforms it for use in plant growth and it’s these plants which will provide food/tomatoes, beetroot, lettuce. but also through photosynthesis it will produce oxygen, capture CO2 and produce water. creating miniature earth in completely air tight container. spirulina, green micro algae capable of total autonomy, producing oxygen in large quantities.
The concept is based on five interconnected compartments operating independently which are colonized by anaerobic thermophilic bacteria, photoheterotrophic bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, photoautotrophic bacteria and superior plants. Each of the compartments has a specific function assigned to it in order to reach the overall objective, which is none other than to transform the waste into supplies:
Compartment 1: here all the waste products of the system are collected (faeces, urine, paper, inedible biomass and the inedible part of the plants). Its purpose is the anaerobic thermophilic transformation of the waste into ammonium , volatile fatty acids and minerals. These operations are carried out under thermophilic conditions in order to increase the efficiency of the degradation process and to guarantee that the potentially pathogenic microorganisms are destroyed.
Compartment 2: the volatile fatty acids produced in compartment I are transformed into a source of inorganic carbon under anaerobic conditions by means of photoheterotrophic bacteria growth which uses light as the energy source. The biomass created is returned to compartment I to be degraded.
Compartment 3: its purpose is to transform the ammonium produced in compartment I into nitrate which is the preferred source of nitrogen by the superior plants and bacteria in compartment IV. The oxidization of the ammonium is produced by the Nitrosomonas europaea bacteria and the oxidization of the nitrates is undertaken by Nitrobacter winogradskyi. Both use CO2 as a source of carbon. It grows very slowly so very little biomass is created.
Compartment 4: is responsible for transforming carbon dioxide into oxygen, for creating edible biomass which can be used to feed the crew and to recover water. All this is carried out through two subcompartments (IVa and IVb) which compartment 4 is divided into. Subcompartment IVa is colonized by photoautotrophic Arthrospira platensisbacteria which use light as a source of energy and CO2 as a source of carbon and they produce oxygen and water. The biomass created is in itself edible, so it would feed the crew. Subcompartment IVb is made up of a selection of superior plants, which carry out the same role as the photoautotrophic bacteria. However, the superior plants allow CO2 to be transformed into oxygen at a greater specific speed than with the photoautotrophic bacteria. Moreover, they help to achieve a more balanced diet for the crew.
Compartment 5: is made up of the crew, it is the one in which food, water and oxygen is transformed into faeces, urine and CO2, thereby closing the cycle.
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/ESA_s_MELiSSA_life-support_programme_wins_academic_recognition
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