The findings of the BioRock experiment indicate that bacterial supported mining can be carried out in the nafasi. Following the success of BioRock study, the BioAsteroid experiment is currently underway now. In this study, bacteria and fungi are being grown on asteroidal material in an incubator under microgravity condition of the nafasi station in order to study biofilm formation, bioleaching and other chemical and biological changes including the genetic transcriptional changes. Nafasi biomining is a significant discovery that seems to have a great potential going forward.
Binadamu settlements beyond Ardhi on Moon au juu ya sayari kama Mars in nafasi have long been the theme of science fiction. However, serious thoughts and research activities towards this have been in progress in the last two decades. One of the key questions before the scientific community has been on how to acquire the materials (such as oxygen, water, building materials including metals and minerals etc.) needed to establish a self-sustaining presence in nafasi (1).
Biomining yaani, kuchimba metali kutoka ores kupitia bio-catalysis using microorganisms like bacteria and archaea is in practice for long on sayari Ardhi. Currently, this method is used to leach copper sulfides and pretreat gold ores and also to extract metals from oxidised ores and to recover metals from wastes (2).
Can the technique of biomining be effectively used under microgravity conditions in outer nafasi to extract materials needed for binadamu settlements? Can microorganisms help extract metal and materials using asteroid materials or rocks available on Moon or Mars? Knowledge of microbe–mineral interactions in nafasi is also considered important because of its potential in soil formation, formation of biocrusts in enclosed pressurised nafasi, use of regolith (layer of solid material over bedrocks) and production of construction materials. Nafasi biomining experiments were designed exactly for these reasons to understand effects of altered gravity.
To this end, European Nafasi Agency carried out the BioRock experiment on the International Nafasi Station (ISS) in 2019. Experiments were designed to study bioleaching of rare-nchi elements from basaltic rock in three gravity conditions viz. microgravity, simulated Mars gravity and simulated Ardhi gravity. Three bacterial species, Sphingomonas desiccabilis, Bacillus subtilis, na Cupriavidus metallidurans zilitumika katika utafiti. Dhana iliyojaribiwa ilikuwa ikiwa ”regimen tofauti za mvuto zinaweza kuathiri viwango vya mwisho vya seli vilivyopatikana baada ya kipindi cha wiki nyingi katika nafasi''. Matokeo yalionyesha kuwa hakuna athari kubwa ya hali tofauti za mvuto kwenye hesabu za mwisho za seli za bakteria, ikimaanisha kuwa ufanisi wa mchakato wa upaukaji unabaki sawa chini ya hali tofauti za mvuto. Matokeo haya ya jaribio la BioRock yanaonyesha kwamba uchimbaji madini unaoungwa mkono na bakteria unaweza kufanywa katika nafasi. Uundaji wa madini ya anga ni ugunduzi muhimu ambao unaonekana kuwa na uwezo mkubwa kwenda mbele (3,4).
Kufuatia mafanikio ya utafiti wa BioRock, majaribio ya BioAsteroid kwa sasa yanaendelea sasa. Katika utafiti huu, bakteria na kuvu vinakuzwa kwa nyenzo za asteroidal kwenye incubator chini ya hali ya microgravity ya kituo cha anga ili kusoma uundaji wa biofilm, bioleaching na mabadiliko mengine ya kemikali na kibiolojia pamoja na mabadiliko ya maandishi ya kijeni.(5).
With these stepping stones, the humanity is surely inching forward towards binadamu settlements beyond sayari Ardhi.
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Marejeo:
- NASA 2007. Ripoti ya Warsha ya Uchimbaji wa Kibiolojia ya Lunar Regolith. Inapatikana mtandaoni kwa https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/10547528.pdf
- Johnson DB., 2014. Biomining - bioteknolojia kwa ajili ya kuchimba na kurejesha metali kutoka ores na vifaa vya taka. Maoni ya Sasa katika Bayoteknolojia. Juzuu 30, Desemba 2014, Ukurasa wa 24-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2014.04.008
- Cockell, CS, Santomartino, R., Finster, K. et al., 2020. Jaribio la uwekaji madini kwenye kituo cha anga za juu linaonyesha uchimbaji wa kipengele adimu cha ardhi katika mvuto wa midogo na uvutano wa Mihiri. Imechapishwa: 10 Novemba 2020. Nature Communication 11, 5523 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19276-w
- Santomartino R., Waajen A., et al 2020. Hakuna Athari ya Microgravity na Uigizaji wa Mvuto wa Mirihi kwenye Misisitizo ya Mwisho ya Seli za Bakteria kwenye Kituo cha Kimataifa cha Anga: Maombi ya Uzalishaji wa Anga. Frontiers in Microbiology., 14 Oktoba 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.579156
- Shirika la Anga la Uingereza 2020. Taarifa kwa vyombo vya habari - Utafiti wa Biomining unaweza kufungua makazi ya siku zijazo kwenye ulimwengu mwingine. Ilichapishwa tarehe 5 Desemba 2020. Inapatikana mtandaoni kwa https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biomining-study-could-unlock-future-settlements-on-other-worlds
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