Electrolytic process technologies for the production of primary magnesium

Abstract

Two routes currently exist for the commercial production of primary magnesium: thermal and electrolytic. The electrolytic process accounts for 75% of the Western world's production capacity and this level is expected to increase if known magnesium projects materialize in the near future. Commercial applications of the thermal process are concentrated in China, where the majority of magnesium plants are reported to utilize the silicothermic process. The electrolytic process preferred in the West comprises three main steps: leaching/purification, dehydration and electrolysis. As many as 14 different versions of the process are applied, but several of these are proprietary technologies and not freely available for commercial use.