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Volume 112
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Principles and optimization of magnetic minerals separation from lunar regolith by dry drum magnetic separator
Quan Zheng a 1, Yizhuo He a 1, Guanghui Liu a *, Guang Zhang a *, Yiwei Liu a, Xin Liu a, Songzheng Yu a, Ziwei Tian a, Hanyu Wang a, Yongcan Deng a, Shuaishuai Li b, Peng Zhang a *
a Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100094, China
b Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 1B1, Canada
10.1016/j.partic.2026.02.029
Volume 112, May 2026, Pages 160-169
Received 16 December 2025, Revised 30 January 2026, Accepted 22 February 2026, Available online 12 March 2026, Version of Record 19 March 2026.
E-mail: liugh1991@126.com; zhangguang@csu.ac.cn; zhangpeng@csu.ac.cn
Highlights

• A separator was designed to separate magnetic mineral particles in lunar regolith.

• Motion trajectories and landing points distribution of the lunar particles revealed beneficiation principle.

• Kinematics mechanism and efficiency of lunar regolith magnetic beneficiation were analyzed.


Abstract

Recent trends in lunar scientific research have led to the proliferation of studies on utilizing lunar regolith as one of the most accessible resources. Magnetic minerals in lunar regolith play a key role in studying lunar geology, lunar evolution, and even cosmic events; they are also vital raw materials for the in-situ resource utilization and lunar base construction in the future. This study developed a ground prototype of the dry drum magnetic separation device with main components adapting to the harsh conditions on the lunar surface, to meet the separation and enrichment requirements of magnetic minerals from lunar regolith. Particle-scale kinematics was analyzed in ground verification experiments to explain the effect of different particle sizes, magnetic properties and drum speeds. The beneficiation performance for lunar regolith was calculated according to the magnetic minerals’ proportion in real lunar regolith, and separation parameters were optimized for different beneficiation targets. The results proved the high efficiency of dry drum magnetic separator in magnetic minerals separation from lunar regolith, and clarified the mechanism of particle motion in the process of mineral separation. This study can support magnetic minerals enrichment in lunar exploration project such as lunar detection sampling and payload production serving, as well as long-term lunar research missions such as water/oxygen production and titanium/iron metal smelting.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Lunar regolith; Magnetic minerals; Dry drum magnetic separation; Kinematic mechanism
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