In recent years, 3D printing has been positioned as a promising solution for building habitats both on the Moon and on Mars. It makes sense: launching building supplies from Earth into space would be prohibitively expensive and 3D printing could offer a way to make structures using local materials. An innovative research project coming out of Texas A&M University is exploring this possibility and adding a new dimension to it through the introduction of living materials.
Dr. Congrui Grace Jin, assistant professor in the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program at Texas A&M, and colleagues from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have developed a synthetic lichen system capable of forming building materials using Martian regolith. Natural lichens are fascinating organisms that are actually made up of two organisms living symbiotically, specifically fungi and green algae (also known as cyanobacteria). In their bio-materials research, Dr. Jin and her colleagues developed a synthetic lichen that could “bond Martian regolith particles into a consolidated body”.
Example of organic lichens in nature
“We can build a synthetic community by mimicking natural lichens,” explained Dr. Jin. “We’ve developed a way to build synthetic lichens to create biomaterials that glue Martian regolith particles into structures. Then, through 3D printing, a wide range of structures can be fabricated, such as buildings, houses and furniture.”
Manufacturing on Demand
The research presents an alternative to other binding approaches that have focused on magnesium-based and sulfur-based binders, as well as microbe-mediated self-growing systems. In the latter, researchers have explored things like bacterial biomineralization to bind sand particles into masonry and ureolytic bacteria to generate calcium carbonate for bricks, however in both these cases, the use of a single bacterial strain requires the addition of external nutrients to survive. The advantage of using the synthetic lichen is that unlike these other materials, it does not require additional nutrients or human intervention. In other words, the living material can grow simply through exposure to Martian regolith simulants, air, light and an inorganic liquid medium.
More specifically, the material uses heterotrophic filamentous fungi, which are capable of promoting the creation of robust biominerals that can withstand harsh environments, in combination with diazotrophic cyanobacteria, which convert carbon dioxide and dinitrogen from the atmosphere into oxygen and nutrients for the fungal growth. The fungi, which binds metal ions onto fungal cell walls to create the biominerals, also provides the necessary nutrients for the cyanobacteria to thrive. Both organic materials also create biopolymers that create a strong bond between Martian regolith particles, turning them into a consolidated form.
“The potential of this self-growing technology in enabling long-term extraterrestrial exploration and colonization is significant,” said Jin. With 3D printing in the mix, the potential grows even further. Presently, the researchers are investigating the use of direct ink writing to print regolith ink into bio-structures, which will then grow independently.
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Tiandu scientists successfully prototype lunar regolith 3D printer: He revealed that the system uses a high-precision reflective concentrator and flexible fiber-optic energy transmission to achieve temperatures hot enough to fuse lunar regolith. “This printing breakthrough has validated the feasibility of using lunar soil as the sole raw building material, enabling true in-situ resource utilization and eliminating the need to transport any additional materials from Earth,” he said.
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Author: Tess Boissonneault
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