On self-sufficiency
Astronauts will be able to print tools from their own waste
Sergey Vasiliev, Naked Science
A new technology developed by scientists from the Canadian University of Calgary promises to kill two birds with one stone. During long–term space expeditions, it will make it possible to usefully dispose of the team's waste products - and at the same time provide them with material for 3D printing of the necessary tools and parts. Mayi Arcellana-Panlilio and her colleagues talk about this in an article presented in the online library of preprints bioRxiv.
When preparing space missions, every kilogram counts, and 3D printers promise to be an extremely useful addition to the equipment of any future manned spacecraft. They will allow you to take on board much less "consumables", spare parts and tools, and if necessary, they will print them on the spot. 3D printers modified to work in microgravity have been tested on the ISS for several years. The search for optimal materials – "3D ink" - for their work continues.
The team of Professor Mai Arcellan-Panlillo turned to the feces of the astronauts themselves for this purpose, offering to turn them into a material for space 3D printing. The fact is that among the natural products of their decomposition contain short-chain fatty acids, including isobutyric acid. After separating them from the mixture by centrifugation and filtration on membranes with nanoscale pores, GM bacteria of E. coli adapted for life in appropriate conditions and carrying genes for the synthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate (polyhydroxybutyrate, PHB), a polymer of isobutyric acid, can be introduced into them.
The properties of PHB are close to ordinary polypropylene, this bioplastic is increasingly being produced on Earth, allowing to obtain a transparent film that decomposes quickly in nature. RNV also accumulated in a fermenter with GM bacteria, which was used by a team of Canadian scientists. It was isolated from the solution, dried – and turned into ready-made "3D ink". Professor Arcellana-Panlillo and her colleagues demonstrated the efficiency of the entire process by using the resulting material for 3D printing using the conventional laser sintering method.
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