Carbonyl extraction of lunar and asteroidal metals

It is suggested that the Mond process for carbonyl extraction of metals from ore may be used as an efficient, low-energy scheme for producing high-purity Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn, and Co from lunar or asteroidal feedstocks. It is proposed that scenarios for obtaining oxygen from the lunar relogith can be enhanced by carbonyl processing of the metallic alloy byproducts of such operations. It is further suggested that the native metal content of asteroidal regoliths is even more suitable to carbonyl processing. High-purity, corrosion-resistant Fe and Ni can be extracted from asteroidal feedstocks along with a Co-rich residue containing 0.5 percent platinum-group metals. Recommendations for bringing the method to a practical level of development for space applications are presented.