Lunar meteoroid impacts have caused in the past a substantial change in the lunar surface. With no atmospheric shield, the Moon is subject to many impacts from meteoroids, ranging from a few grams to a few kilograms. The high impact rate on the lunar surface has important implications for future human and robotic assets that will inhabit the Moon for significant periods of time. Therefore, a better understanding of the meteoroid population in the cislunar environment is required for future exploration of the Moon. Moreover, refining current meteoroid models is of paramount importance for many applications, including planetary science investigations. Studying meteoroid impacts can help deepening the understanding of the spatial distribution of near-Earth objects in the Solar System. The ability to predict impacts is therefore critical to many applications, both related to engineering aspects of space exploration, and to more scientific investigations regarding evolutional processes in the Solar System. The Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer (LUMIO) is a CubeSat mission to observe, quantify, and characterise lunar meteoroid impacts, by detecting their impact ashes on the far-side of the Moon. This complements the information available from Earth-based observatories, which are bounded to the lunar near-side, with the goal of synthesising a global recognition of the lunar meteoroid environment. LUMIO envisages a 12U CubeSat form-factor placed in a halo orbit at Earth-Moon L2. The detections are performed using the LUMIO-Cam, an optical instrument capable of detecting light ashes in the visible spectrum (450-950 nm). LUMIO has successfully passed the PDR and is currently moving towards Phase C. We present the latest results on the modelling of the meteoroid environment in the Earth-Moon system, including an estimate of LUMIO's potential impact on our existing knowledge of meteoroids, supported by high-fidelity simulation data. An overview of the present-day LUMIO CubeSat design is also given, with a focus on the latest developments involving both the ongoing/planned scientific activities and the development of the payload.

A systematic study on the physicochemical properties of two protic ionic liquids (ILs) {2-hydroxyethylammonium acetate ([Mea][Ac]) and 2-hydroxyethylammonium hexanoate ([Mea][Hex])} and their mixtures with water was performed. The density and viscosity were assessed across the entire range of aqueous dilutions between 278 and 393 K. The conductivities, water activities, and surface tension of the binary systems in water were also assessed, and the influence of anions was evaluated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques were used to study the systems at different IL compositions. The excess molar volumes (VE) and thermal expansion coefficients were calculated, with negative values for VE across the entire concentration range. Density data were fitted to a polynomial for density prediction, function of temperature, and concentration, with the average deviation percentage not exceeding 0.63%. The viscosities of the binary systems were studied considering six different models and were better predicted by the model of Herráez et al. at IL concentrations higher than 0.25 mole fraction. The systems containing [Hex]- exhibited higher water activities and lower conductivity and surface tension. All studied systems exhibited a glass transition event, which varied according to the IL composition. The FTIR and NMR analysis confirmed the distinct molecular arrangement of [Mea][Ac] and [Mea][Hex] systems.

The use of lignocellulosic (LC) materials, especially residues, as feedstock in biorefinery applications is a promising alternative to the oil refinery production of fuels, power and chemicals, reducing the global warming potential (GWP) related to these activities. The conversion of LC's carbohydrates into useful sugars is entirely dependent on the efficiency of the pretreatment (PT) step. Ionic liquids (ILs) have been explored as tailored solvents for the solubilization of LC's complex structure during PT, which can overcome the existing hurdles related to PT. This work assesses the impact of PT variables and the IL recycling through freezing concentration (FC) in an IL-based biorefinery. The influence of temperature, solid loading and IL dilution was systematically studied and the mass and energy balances, economic and environmental outcomes calculated. Life cycle analysis (LCA) was employed in a cradle-to-gate approach. Results showed that solid loading and IL dilution, rather than PT temperature, have the major influence on the energy requirements to produce 1 kg of ethanol. IL make up is a critical parameter to minimize the environmental impact and operational costs associated with the process. Product selling price and IL recycling were the most impacting variables concerning profitability. Extra investment for improved IL recycling is advantageous up to 99% of recovery. Product diversification can improve the economic feasibility even if it is associated with increased capital expenditure. The results show the importance of the pretreatment design and solvent recycling from an integrated perspective, thus challenging the criteria defined while assessing these steps alone.

The use of Lignocellulosic residues (LC) such as conventional food crop remains, for Bioenergy and Biorefinery applications is an attractive way to increase feedstock availability without the investment in additional land area. Moreover, it is noteworthy that biomolecules produced from LC, namely second generation (2G), has a potentially better greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions balance. One of the most economically successful lignocellulosic sources is the sugarcane crop, with a global production of about 1.7 gigatonnes in 2019. Although LC is rich in carbohydrates, 40 – 90 wt%, these sugars are not readily converted due to their molecular structure. Consequently, it must be treated, so that LC’s molecular nature is changed into a more convenient arrangement favoring subsequent conversions. Such process is called pretreatment (PT) and is considered the most important step to obtain an efficient conversion of LC’s constituents. Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as an alternative technology for biomass pretreatment. ILs can break the H bonds which stabilize LC’s molecular structure, improving components solubility and/or turning LC’s structure more susceptible to further conversions, such as improving the enzymatic digestibility of pretreated solids.