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Basics |
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Future
Trends - Magnesium
The future
of magnesium process technology is unclear. Magnesium metal is made using either
an electrolytic or thermal process. The electrolytic route lends itself to large-scale
plants with high capital costs and low operating costs (provided power costs are
competitive). It involves three key process stages: preparation and purification
of magnesium oxide, dehydration, and electrolysis. The thermal route conventionally
uses silicon or ferrosilican as a reductant and involves small plants with low
capital cost but higher operating costs.
As market demand
increases, a number of forecasts suggest that the future development of magnesium
production will follow a path that involves:
- Industry growth
is based on large new plants realizing scale economics
- New facilities
will be sited far from markets and in low-cost locations (like Australia).
- Low cost energy
locations will have a huge advantage
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