Solid Waste Densification in the Context of Space Missions

Densification of solid waste has several potential applications in space missions, ranging from minimizing physical volume required for waste storage to serving as a pre-processing unit operation for resource recovery in advanced life support systems. The different types of densification (e.g., pelletization) are discussed, as well as theoretical considerations, and operating parameters relevant to resource recovery and environmental control. Some data related to densification parameters are reported, including energy requirements, degree of densification, unit bulk densities, and biological stability.