Ersatz Formulas for Lunar Outpost Wastewater and Brine

Early development of wastewater and brine processing equipment must rely upon ersatz formulations because authentic urine and hygiene water are variable in composition, difficult to acquire in quantity, and have limited storage life.

Previous wastewater ersatz formulations (e.g. Verostko et al, 2004) were designed for chemical fidelity, to match the elemental ratios and VOC profile of defined blends of wastewater components. This paper presents an alternative spreadsheet approach to brine and wastewater ersatz formulation by combining “building block” recipes in user-selected ratios and accounting for compositional shifts upon evaporation.