--- title: "Chinese Scientists Extract Water From Lunar Soil" description: "Scientists in China have discovered a shockingly simple trick to extract large quantities of water from lunar soil." date: "2024-08-24" modified: "2024-08-24" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-scientists-water-lunar-soil" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "lunar soil" - "moon bases" - "the digest" --- # Chinese Scientists Extract Water From Lunar Soil ![Scientists in China have discovered a shockingly simple trick to extract large quantities of water from lunar soil.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Soil Says Using brand new methodology, scientists in China have discovered a shockingly simple trick to extract water from lunar soil. As the [*South China Morning Post*]() and [other outlets]() report, the new technique has been tested out on Moon dirt samples brought back from China's 2020 Chang'e 5 mission — the first to [return lunar soil samples to Earth]() in 44 years. Published in the [journal *The Innovation*](), which was [founded in 2020]() by young Chinese scientists, these findings suggest not only that Moon base settlers could produce potentially potable water from lunar soil, but also that they could use byproducts from the water extraction process to help build their bases. When analyzing the samples, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that they contained high concentrations of hydrogen and oxygen, alongside other elements. When heated to temperatures exceeding 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, those elements produced water vapor, per the country's [*CCTV* state broadcaster](). Interestingly, the soil itself apparently also melts after reaching this temperature threshold. ## Water Table Along with the purported water vapor discovery, the researchers also learned [more than was previously known]() about lunar soil through their experiments. For instance, some of the hydrogen-rich minerals found in the Chang'e 5 lunar soil samples seem to have been created due to billions of years of exposure to solar wind. When heated, these compounds not only create water vapor, but also iron and ceramic glass. Just a single gram of lunar soil is said to be able to produce between 51 and 76 milligrams of water. Accordingly, the researchers said that a ton of such soil could produce 13 gallons of water. The Chinese Academy of Sciences team is, per *SCMP*, proposing that on future lunar bases, Moon dirt could be heated by focusing sunlight with concave mirrors. The iron produced as a byproduct of this method could also be used to build electronics, scientists say, and the melted soil could potentially have applications in building structures, too. Though the researchers cautioned that more studies would need to be done to determine the feasibility of extracting water on the Moon using this new heating method, the findings are nevertheless groundbreaking — and there's little doubt that [China's spacefaring rivals are seething]() at the fact that they didn't make the discovery first. **More on the Moon:** [*Chinese Scientists Working on Magnetic Launch System to Fling Cargo From Moon's Surface Back to Earth*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()