Converting CO2 to oxygen and carbon?

[JQP]

Hello, first post here.

First, I would like to note how easy and pleasant registration was here. Usually account verification is far more tedious (for no user-oriented reason that I can divine), so thanks to the site owners for that.

Second, could someone talk to me (layman) about the possibility of closed cycle space suits? E.g., splitting BOTH (REPEAT, BOTH ) of the oxygen atoms from CO2, or one oxygen atom from CO2, and then the other oxygen atom from carbon monoxide? Splitting oxygen from carbon monoxide seems like a subject beyond search engines' capabilities, or my ability to utilize them.

I know it's more in the realm of fiction than science at the moment, but I would still like to read anything people here would like to offer. It also seems likely that there's a lot more to a closed suit than recovering all the oxygen from CO2, but that would seem to be the most salient requirement. (Edit: also I know, or think I know, that truly closed cycle suits are not possible, or at least feasible; I mean "closed" as "a hell of a lot more closed than now" )

P.S., very interesting forum you have here. I've been lurking a couple weeks or so, and I've learned a lot already. I've been very impressed by how much you guys know about space exploration - very useful for someone like me who is playing catchup.

[Hobbes-22]

It's being worked on, although not on the level of individual suits. The ISS contains a system for reducing CO2 into methane and water using the Sabatier process.

(the term 'carbon dioxide reduction' gives useful results in a search engine, by the way).

[JQP]

Yeah after I posted I remembered reading something about electrolysis for CO2 scrubbing. I did a quick search and found wiki Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. I guess I brain farted, or figured it's a long way from scaling down to suit size, or something. But I guess that wouldn't necessarily follow, since a suit is a lot smaller than a habitat.

Thanks for the search tips.