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Instrument for Solvent Extraction and Analysis (ISEE) of Organics from Regolith Simulant Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction and ChromatographyISEE is an instrument with the potential to perform extractions from regolith found on the surface of asteroids and planets, followed by characterization and quantitation of the extracts using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and chromatography (SFC). SFE is a developed technique proven to extract a wide range of organic compounds. SFC is similar to High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) but has the advantage of performing chiral separations without needing to derivatize the chiral compounds. CO2 will be the solvent for both stages as it is readily available in the Mars atmosphere. ISEE will capture CO2 from the environment, and use it for SFE and SFC. If successful, this would allow ISEE to perform analysis of organic compounds without using consumables. This paper will present results on a preliminary, proof-of-principle effort to use SFE and SFC to extract and analyze lunar regolith simulant spiked with organic compounds representing a range of organics that ISEE would expect to characterize. An optimization of variables for the extraction of the organics from the spiked regolith was successfully developed, using 138 bar pressure and 40 C temperature. The extraction flow rate was optimized at 2% SLPM with 30% methanol modifier. The extractions were successful with a value of 77.3+/- 0.9% of organics extracted. However, the recovery of organics after the extraction was very low with only 48.5+/-14.2%. Moreover, three columns were selected to analyze multiple samples at a time; two of them are Viridis HSS C18 SB and Torus DIOL, and the third column, specific for chiral separations, has not yet been selected yet.
Document ID
20170007905
Acquisition Source
Kennedy Space Center
Document Type
Presentation
Authors
Franco, Carolina
(Universities Space Research Association Cocoa Beach, FL, United States)
Hintze, Paul E.
(NASA Kennedy Space Center Cocoa Beach, FL United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2017
Publication Date
July 20, 2017
Subject Category
Chemistry And Materials (General)
Report/Patent Number
KSC-E-DAA-TN43831
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Conference on Environmental Systems
Location: Charleston, SC
Country: United States
Start Date: July 16, 2017
End Date: July 20, 2017
Sponsors: International Conference On Environmental Systems, Inc.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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