Would you like a quick $(USD)250K?
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050516/full/050516-15.html MoonROx (Moon Regolith Oxygen)
"Entrants must build a device, within certain weight and power limits, that can extract at least five kilograms of oxygen from a sample of volcanic ash (a substitute for lunar soil) in the space of eight hours. The first team to build and demonstrate such a gadget before 1 June 2008 will claim the cash."
Given that the semiconductor industry would pay a fortune to directly isolate elemental silicon from silicate, Uncle Al senses a synergism here. The only thing standing in the winner's path is thermodynamics. As silicon foundries will tell you, molten silicate does not electrolyze to oxygen and silicon. Even aluminum electrowinning needs the thermodynamic push of anode oxidation.
Maybe if we had a high temperature electrolyte membrane... and a way to drop the melt viscosity... and our thumb up Tinkerbelle's bottom...
Uncle Al wishes everybody good luck on obtaining the 156 moles of O2.
