Water Purification
water_purification_system
Multi-barrier water purification system using filtration, ion exchange, catalytic oxidation, and UV sterilization to produce potable and process-grade water.
Purpose
Remove dissolved minerals, organic contaminants, heavy metals, and biological agents from raw extracted water and reclaimed wastewater to meet consumption and process quality standards.
Context
Central purification hub receiving raw water from ice melting and reclaimed water from recovery systems, outputting graded water quality for different Ark consumers.
Principles
- ▸Multi-barrier approach provides redundant contamination removal
- ▸Particulate filtration removes suspended solids down to sub-micron
- ▸Ion exchange and reverse osmosis remove dissolved minerals and heavy metals
- ▸Catalytic oxidation breaks down organic compounds
- ▸UV-C sterilization provides final biological safety barrier
Typical implementations
- ▸Ceramic membrane filters (0.1-0.5 um pore size) for particulate removal
- ▸Mixed-bed ion exchange resin columns for deionization
- ▸Reverse osmosis membranes for dissolved solids rejection
- ▸TiO2 photocatalytic oxidation reactor for organic breakdown
- ▸UV-C LED sterilization at 254 nm wavelength
- ▸Real-time water quality monitoring (pH, TDS, TOC, turbidity)
Lunar considerations
- ▸Lunar ice may contain mercury, sulfur compounds, and hydrocarbons
- ▸Filter and membrane replacement must be manufactured on-site
- ▸Regenerable ion exchange preferred over disposable cartridges
- ▸UV LED sources have longer life than mercury vapor lamps
- ▸Zero-gravity-compatible fluid handling for pumping and flow control
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Purify raw and reclaimed water to potable and process-grade quality standards |
| inputs | raw_water_from_ice_melting, reclaimed_wastewater, regeneration_chemicals |
| outputs | potable_water, process_grade_water, concentrated_waste_brine |
| potable quality | WHO drinking water guidelines |
| particulate removal | >99.99% at 0.2 um |
| dissolved solids | <10 ppm TDS for potable |
| biological safety | zero detectable pathogens |
Physical
| materials | ceramic_membranes, ion_exchange_resins, RO_membranes, TiO2_catalyst, UV_LED_arrays, stainless_steel_housings |
| operating temperature | 10-40 C |
| pressure | 2-10 bar for RO operation |
| location | pressurized habitat module |
Operational
| thermal range c | -173, 127 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Potable and process-grade water for storage
- High-purity water for electrolysis feed
Requires
- Extracted water from ice melting process
- Recovered wastewater for re-purification
- Power for pumps, UV sources, and monitoring
Decomposes into
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Water Purification" (L2-WTR-PURE). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L2-WTR-PURE
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.