Meet Jeremiah Bents, the Minnesota student who recreated Mars soil in a lab to test whether future astronauts could clean contaminated water |

Mars may be millions of kilometres from Minnesota, but for Cloquet student Jeremiah Bents, one small part of a future Mars mission could be tested much closer to home. Instead of looking at how to reach the Red Planet, Bents turned his attention to what astronauts might do once they get there, particularly when dealing with water. His science fair project examined whether a Mars soil simulant could help remove ammonia from contaminated water. The idea brought planetary science into a school laboratory, using a material designed to mimic Martian soil rather than an actual sample from Mars. Bents’ work later earned the Earth Systems Science Award at the Minnesota Academy of Science State Science & Engineering Fair in St Paul. Behind the project was guidance from university researchers and Nasa scientist Chris McKay, who also supplied a variant of Mars simulant for Bents to test.

Jeremiah Bents tested Mars soil simulants for ammonia removal from water

Water would be one of the most important resources on a long-duration space mission, but having water available is not the same as having water that can be safely used. Bents built his science fair project around the question of whether Mars soil simulants could play a role in filtering water containing ammonia. Rather than studying actual Martian material, he worked with a laboratory substitute intended to reproduce some of the characteristics of Martian soil.According to Pine Knot News, the project was formally titled A Mars Mission: Testing Filtering Effectiveness of Mars Soil Simulants When Removing Ammonia from Water. The experiment earned Bents the Earth Systems Science Award at the state fair, along with a certificate and an invitation to a webinar with a Nasa scientist. The award placed his work among projects recognised for their contribution to the study of Earth’s systems and related environmental questions.

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Minnesota student used a Mars soil simulant for laboratory testing

Bents did not have to design the project entirely on his own. He received methodology support from Dr Nathan Johnson, Dr Jacob Schmidt, a Cloquet alumnus, and Dr Chris McKay, a senior scientist at Nasa Ames Research Centre. McKay also supplied Bents with a variant of Mars simulant soil for the testing.That connection gave the school project a direct link to professional planetary research. The material was not soil collected from Mars, of course. It was a simulant, made for scientific work on Earth where researchers can investigate questions involving the planet’s surface without needing an actual sample from Mars. For Bents, it became the basis for a controlled experiment involving water and ammonia.

Bents tested a Mars soil simulant for filtering ammonia from water

The central part of Bents’ work was the experiment itself: testing the filtering effectiveness of the Mars soil simulant when ammonia was present in water. The project title indicates that he was interested not simply in what Martian soil might look like, but in whether its properties could have a practical use in dealing with contaminated water.That is a useful distinction in the context of space exploration. A material can be interesting because it resembles something found on another planet, but an experiment can ask a more practical question about what that material might actually do. Bents’ project brought those two ideas together by taking a Mars simulant and examining its possible role in water treatment.

Minnesota science fair brought together student research from across the state

The project first formed part of the wider science-fair work carried out by students in the Cloquet area. Bents was among the local students who travelled to the Minnesota Academy of Science State Science & Engineering Fair in St Paul on March 27, 2026. The event brought together hundreds of middle and high school students from across Minnesota, allowing them to present original research to professionals working in STEM fields.Eight middle school students and 11 high school students from the local group attended, accompanied by research mentors Cynthia Welsh and William Bauer. Bents was one of several Cloquet students to receive recognition at the event, alongside projects covering chemistry, wastewater treatment, wildfire smoke, airfoil design and aquatic science.

Minnesota student’s Mars soil experiment explored a possible water filtration method

Bents’ Mars-related project was supported by researchers who helped him develop the experiment. Dr Johnson and Dr Schmidt provided guidance on the methodology, while McKay supplied the Mars soil simulant used in the study. Bents later received the Earth Systems Science Award for the project, along with a certificate and an invitation to join a webinar with a NASA scientist. The award was one of several honours received by students from the Cloquet contingent, whose projects covered areas including chemistry, aquatic science, engineering and environmental research.The experiment tested whether a Mars soil simulant could help filter ammonia-contaminated water. It does not show that Martian soil could serve as a practical water-treatment system for astronauts, especially under the much more demanding conditions of a human mission to Mars. Instead, the project demonstrated how a broad question about future space exploration can be turned into a testable experiment on Earth. Bents used a material designed to resemble Martian soil and measured its potential as a filter, giving the student project a practical way to investigate a problem that could one day matter in space exploration.