Lunar Boom Town/Worm Soil Factory

Business Idea:

Topsoil is going to be at a premium on the moon. As much food as possible must be grown locally and CO2 must be recycled into biomass and oxygen.

Lunar regolith is initially not good topsoil. When moisture is added it creates a base (opposite of acidic) mixture which is inimical to plants. (need footnote here, find source) It also has no organic component.

Hence our worm farms. We purchase waste biomass, combine it with lunar regolith in proper proportions, feed it to our worms, then sell the resulting topsoil to plant growers and the extra worms to chicken farms.

Best of all, our worm farms take a lot less excavated space to operate than other full-blown ranches and farms, thus making it ideal for part-time entrepreneurs who work for other people full-time.

Startup costs:

• Excavation of initial space for work beds and airlock to adjoining community corridor or owner's living space.
• Initial supply of worms from Terra.
• Initial biomass - primarily kitchen scraps, possibly human waste compost.
• Hauling of initial sifted lunar regolith
• Water

Design challenges:

• What is the proper mix of lunar regolith and various types of biomass to create various types of topsoil?
• What are the various types of topsoil Lunar Boomtown Businesses and residents will purchase?

Mill:

• Without the weathering provided by the earth's atmosphere and water, individual grains of the regolith have extremely sharp edges, making it highly abrasive. This may be harmful to worms. In order to blunt the regolith perhaps it could be tossed in a rotating drum. Non-abrasive regolith may be a saleable product in an and of itself for coating outdoor work areas to reduce wear on equipment.

Oportunity:

• Perhaps carbon-dioxide, dissolved in water would be a cheap acid for neutralizing the pH. Scoops operating in a low, elliptical orbit around Venus may provide an abundant source of spacebound CO2.

External Information Links

• http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/1656-how-to-build-a-worm-farm.asp
• http://www.prospect.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=959
• http://www.kidsgardening.com/themes/business8.asp
• http://www.wnyinsurance-quote.com/information-site/html/here_is_what_you_need_to_get_s.html
• A Guide for Educators
• Specialized market as lab specimens? http://www.wormclassroom.org/resources.html