Suitability of Simulated Lunar Regolith (TLS-01) for Agriculture

Abstract (EN)

With the advancement of space exploration, scientists have been considering the use of lunar soil as a starting material for agriculture in future moon colonies to ensure food security. Here, Thailand artificial lunar regolith simulant (TLS-01), developed by Space Zab Co., Ltd., was tested for agricultural suitability using sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) as a test plant. It was found that TLS-01 soil can support plant growth, although it has characteristics that are not suitable. The physical and chemical properties of the TLS-01 were improved by incorporating humic acid microcapsules and coconut coir. The optimal ratio of TLS-01 soil to coconut coir of 1:1 with the addition of double the recommended rate of humic acid was found to result in germination percentage and growth index of sunflower seedlings of 85.00% and 6.62, respectively, which was comparable to results for agricultural soil. Moreover, the release of humic acid from microcapsules using whey protein isolate (WPI) and gum arabic (GA) as encapsulation materials showed conformity to the Fickian diffusion model. The efficiency of WPI and GA as encapsulation materials was found to be 90.37% and 88.36%, respectively.