2018-07-062018-07-062018-07-08ICES_2018_33http://hdl.handle.net/2346/74047Jeffrey Lee, NASAJohn Fisher, NASAOscar Monje, NASAJohannes Goeser, Technical University of MunichICES304: Physio-Chemical Life Support- Waste Management Systems- Technology and Process DevelopmentThe 48th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA on 08 July 2018 through 12 July 2018.A Heat Melt Compactor (HMC) has been under development by NASA in recent years as a technology for processing space mission trash. The HMC compacts the trash, heats the trash to 150 C, sterilizes the trash, and recovers the water from the trash. The heating causes volatile contaminants to be released from the trash, and these contaminants can either be vented to space or oxidized so that the air containing the contaminants can be recycled to the habitat. Characterization of the contaminants has been conducted in the past on the average mixed trash stream. However, every waste batch on a mission will not contain exactly the average overall composition; consequently, it is of value to understand the contribution of each of the components of the trash. This paper provides a summary of the major contaminants produced by components of the trash heated on a temperature profile such as trash experiences in the HMC.application/pdfengheat melt compactorHMCtrash processinggas componentsenvironmental life supportECLSECLSSPreprint