Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Lunar Regolith Minerals for In-Situ Thermal Manufacturing and Feedstock Beneficiation

Zekai Wang; Fen Dang; Wucheng Sun; Yan Zhou; Cheng Zhou; Chunze Yan; Yusheng Shi; Lieyun Ding

doi:10.1016/j.eng.2026.09.011

Engineering ›› :202609011 DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2026.09.011

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Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Lunar Regolith Minerals for In-Situ Thermal Manufacturing and Feedstock Beneficiation

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Abstract

The heterogeneous mineral composition of lunar regolith significantly influences its thermal forming behavior, posing challenges for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) in lunar construction. This study characterizes fifteen mineral phases identified from Chang’e-5 and Chang’e -6 returned samples and evaluates the manufacturing suitability of the ten complete-data minerals for three representative thermoforming processes: hot-press sintering (HPS), microwave sintering (MWS), and selective laser melting (SLM). Eight thermophysical properties (solidus temperature, specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, melt viscosity, surface tension, density, dielectric loss tangent, and solar absorptivity) were characterized for all fifteen minerals. A multi-criteria decision-making framework integrating fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (AHP)–entropy multiplicative weighting was developed to determine process-specific parameter weights, and the mineral suitability was ranked using dual TOPSIS–VIKOR methods. The combined weights identified thermal conductivity (33.7%) as the dominant parameter for HPS, dielectric loss tangent (57.3%) for MWS, and solar absorptivity (33.0%) for SLM, reflecting the distinct heat transfer mechanisms of each process. For the ten complete-data minerals, a process-specific suitability ranking was established, identifying ilmenite as the only universally superior ranked mineral, the pyroxene group as favorable for HPS and SLM, and the feldspar group as consistently unfavorable across the three processes. Sensitivity analyses (Monte Carlo weight perturbation and VIKORv-parameter variation) confirmed the robustness of the rankings. Gradient blending experiments validated the predictions at both macroscopic and microscopic scales, with cross-process density correlation yielding Pearson r= 0.788 (p = 0.002) and Spearman ρ= 0.825 (p = 0.001), and within-process rank agreement of ρ= 1.000 for all three processes. The findings provide first-order guidance for mineral beneficiation strategies, manufacturing process selection, and preliminary landing-site evaluation in future lunar base construction.

Keywords

Lunar regolith minerals / Thermophysical properties / Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) / Fuzzy-AHP / TOPSIS

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Zekai Wang, Fen Dang, Wucheng Sun, Yan Zhou, Cheng Zhou, Chunze Yan, Yusheng Shi, Lieyun Ding. Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Lunar Regolith Minerals for In-Situ Thermal Manufacturing and Feedstock Beneficiation. Engineering 202609011 DOI:10.1016/j.eng.2026.09.011

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