WASHINGTON, Feb 26 – Growing crops on the moon or Mars may one day be possible by recycling human and plant waste into fertilizer, according to research published in ACS Earth and Space Chemistry.

Scientists at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center tested how sewage-derived solutions interact with simulated lunar and Martian soils, known as regolith. The experiments showed that the treated materials released essential nutrients such as sulfur, calcium and magnesium, potentially making the barren surfaces more suitable for agriculture.

“In lunar and Martian outposts, organic wastes will be key to generating healthy, productive soils,” said Harrison Coker, lead author of the study. “By weathering simulant soils with organic waste streams, many essential plant nutrients can be harvested from surface minerals.”

The team used bioregenerative life support systems, or BLiSS, which transform sewage into nutrient-rich effluent. When combined with regolith simulants, the mixture produced microscopic changes that reduced abrasiveness and made the material more soil-like.

Researchers cautioned that actual lunar and Martian regolith differs from simulants, meaning further testing is required. Still, they said the findings mark a step toward sustaining human colonies beyond Earth.

The study was supported by NASA’s Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities and the Mars Campaign Office.