Thermochemical splitting of carbon dioxide to carbon-containing fuels or value-added chemicals is a promising method to reduce greenhouse effects. In this study, we propose a novel process for synchronous promotion of chemical looping-based CO₂ splitting with biomass cascade utilization. The superiority of the process is reflected in (1) a biomass fast pyrolysis process is carried out for syngas, phenolic-rich bio-oil, and biochar co-production with oxygen carrier reduction; (2) the reduced oxygen carrier and the biomass-derived biochar were both applied for CO₂ splitting during the oxygen carrier oxidation stage with carbon monoxide production as well as oxygen carrier re-oxidation; (3) the redox looping of the oxygen carrier was found to synchronously promote the comprehensive utilization of biomass and CO₂ splitting to CO. Various characterizations e.g. HRTEM- and SEM-EDX mapping, H₂-TPR, CO₂-TPO, XRD, XPS, N₂ nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherm tests, Mössbauer, etc. were employed to elucidate the aerogels' microstructures, phase compositions, redox activity, and cyclic stability. Results indicate that the Ca₂Fe₂O₅ aerogel is a promising initiator of the proposed chemical looping process from the perspectives of biomass utilization efficiency, redox activity, and cyclic durability.

Thirty silicate glasses were synthesized as realistic analogs to those expected to exist on Mars, the Moon, and Mercury. Samples were measured using visible/near‐infrared and Mössbauer spectroscopy to determine the effects of varying bulk chemistry, oxygen fugacity, and temperature on spectral properties. For Martian glasses, the f_O2 during fusion strongly affects absorption band intensities in the spectra, while bulk chemistry has noticeable secondary effects on absorption band positions. Titanium and iron content drive spectral changes in lunar glasses, where Fe³⁺ is effectively absent. Iron‐free Mercury analog glasses have much higher albedos than all other samples, and their spectral shape is a close match to some pyroclastic deposits on Mercury. Synthetic glass spectra were used as inputs into a spectral unmixing model applied to remote orbital datasets to test for the presence of glass. The model is validated against physical laboratory mixture spectra, as well as previous detections of glass‐rich pyroclastic deposits on the Moon. Remote data were then used from suspected impact deposits and possible pyroclastic deposits on Mars as a new application of the model: the results reveal spatially coherent glass‐rich material, and the strong spectral match of the synthetic glasses to these remotely sensed data gives new insights into the presence and character of glasses on the Martian surface. The large library of glass spectra generated here, acquired from consistently synthesized and measured samples, can serve as a resource for further studies of volcanic and impact processes on planetary bodies.

Current or past brine hydrologic activity on Mars may provide suitable conditions for the formation of amorphous ferric sulfates. Once formed, these phases would likely be stable under current Martian conditions, particularly at low‐ to mid‐latitudes. Therefore, we consider amorphous iron sulfates (AIS) as possible components of Martian surface materials. Laboratory AIS were created through multiple synthesis routes and characterized with total X‐ray scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, visible/near‐infrared (VNIR), thermal infrared (TIR), and Mössbauer techniques. We synthesized amorphous ferric sulfates (Fe(III)₂(SO₄)₃ · ~ 6–8H₂O) from sulfate‐saturated fluids via vacuum dehydration or exposure to low relative humidity (<11%). Amorphous ferrous sulfate (Fe(II)SO₄ · ~ 1H₂O) was synthesized via vacuum dehydration of melanterite. All AIS lack structural order beyond 11 Å. The short‐range (<5 Å) structural characteristics of amorphous ferric sulfates resemble all crystalline reference compounds; structural characteristics for the amorphous ferrous sulfate are similar to but distinct from both rozenite and szomolnokite. VNIR and TIR spectral data for all AIS display broad, muted features consistent with structural disorder and are spectrally distinct from all crystalline sulfates considered for comparison. Mössbauer spectra are also distinct from crystalline phase spectra available for comparison. AIS should be distinguishable from crystalline sulfates based on the position of their Fe‐related absorptions in the visible range and their spectral characteristics in the TIR. In the NIR, bands associated with hydration at ~1.4 and 1.9 µm are significantly broadened, which greatly reduces their detectability in soil mixtures. AIS may contribute to the amorphous fraction of soils measured by the Curiosity rover.