TL;DR: Lunar mare basalts contain 5-20% ilmenite (FeTiO₃), representing a vast titanium resource. The FFC Cambridge process can extract titanium metal from ilmenite with oxygen as a co-product.
Lunar mare basalts contain 5-20% ilmenite (FeTiO₃), representing a vast titanium resource. The FFC Cambridge process can extract titanium metal from ilmenite with oxygen as a co-product.
Location
Lunar mare basalts (5-20% ilmenite by volume)
Estimated Quantity
Billions of tonnes of TiO₂
Extraction Method
Hydrogen reduction, FFC Cambridge process, molten electrolysis
Economic Value
High - titanium worth $10-30/kg; aerospace-grade titanium much more