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Magnesium is the lightest structural metal used today, some 30% lighter than aluminium, and is generally used in alloys. Pure magnesium burns vigorously once molten, but magnesium alloys have higher melting points and are widely used in the automotive and aircraft industries.

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Uses of magnesium

Magnesium is the third most used metal in construction (after iron and aluminium).  

Nearly 70% of the world production of magnesium is used to make alloys, which have a very low density, comparatively high strength and excellent machinability. These alloys contain one or more of the elements aluminium, zinc, manganese or silicon in various amounts, depending on how the alloy is to be processed.

Half of these alloys are used to make die castings with about 90% magnesium. Car components such as steering wheel cores, gearbox casings, dashboard structures and radiator supports are often made from high pressure die cast magnesium alloys.

Zirconium and rare earth elements are added in some alloys to make the alloy stronger. This group of alloys is normally sand-cast into parts such as helicopter gearboxes and jet engine auxiliary gearboxes.  Some high performance cars are made of a magnesium alloy as are casings for cameras.

Another half of the magnesium used in alloys is as an alloying additive, in the aluminium industry. The alloys are used in packaging, particularly in drinks (beverage) cans and in foil to protect food.

Most metal beverage cans manufactured in the United States are made of the aluminium alloyed with about 5% magnesium and a small amount of other elements. In Europe and Asia, the metal can contains about 50% steel and 50% aluminium alloy with the top being aluminium alloy.

Magnesium alloys are also used as sacrificial anodes. When connected to a less reactive metal, the magnesium becomes the anode of an electrical cell, and corrodes in preference to the other metal. This is used to protect the hulls of steel ships and the under-water structure of oil platforms and pipelines from corrosion.

Another very important use of magnesium is in the manufacture of titanium.  About 10% of the world production of magnesium is used in this way.

Another 10% is used in the manufacture of high grade steel for constructions, such as large buildings and bridges. It is added in the molten state to molten iron, to remove sulfur by chemical reaction, the slag of magnesium sulfide being skimmed off.

Perhaps one of the best known but smallest uses of magnesium is in distress flares, fireworks and other incendiary devices. They contain very small pieces of magnesium which can be ignited.

Annual production of magnesium

These figures are for primary production from the ore and do not include secondary production from recycled materials.

World 910 000 tonnes1 China 800 000 tonnes1 U.S. 70 000 tonnes2 Russia 30 000 tonnes1 Israel 25 000 tonnes1 Kazakhstan 20 000 tonnes1

Data from:
1 U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, .
2 Last available figure is (Minor Metals Trade Association, )

In , the amount of magnesium produced in China was negligible (ca 5%), twenty years later, China now manufactures nearly 90% of the world's magnesium.  Although the country has rich deposits of appropriate magnesium ores, it was the rapid economic growth that led to increased demand in the country for products using magnesium alloys.  This in turn resulted in the shut-down of plants in many countries. The manufacturing processes use very large amounts of energy, and for this reason production in many countries is uneconomic.  Magnesium is not now produced in Western Europe.

Manufacture of magnesium

Magnesium is found in solution in sea-water (about 1.3 kg m-3 magnesium) and in natural brines.  It is also found extensively in the ores magnesite (MgCO3) and dolomite (MgCO3.CaCO3).

Magnesium is principally produced by two methods:
a) thermal reduction of magnesium oxide
b) electrolysis of magnesium chloride

Before the expansion of production in China, electrolysis was the more common method of production in countries where electrical energy is produced relatively cheaply.  Most Chinese plants, however, use an updated version of the thermal reduction process originally developed in Canada in the s to boost production during World War II (the 'Pidgeon Process').

(a) Thermal reduction process

Dolomite ore is crushed and heated in a kiln to produce a mixture of magnesium and calcium oxides, a process known as calcining:

The next step is reduction of the magnesium oxide.  The reducing agent is ferrosilicon (an alloy of iron and silicon) which is made by heating sand with coke and scrap iron, and typically contains about 80% silicon.

The oxides are mixed with crushed ferrosilicon, and made into briquettes for loading into the reactor. Alumina may also be added to reduce the melting point of the slag. The reaction is carried out at - K under very low pressure, close to vacuum. Under these conditions the magnesium is produced as a vapour which is condensed by cooling to about K in steel-lined condensers, and then removed and cast into ingots:

The forward reaction is endothermic and the position of equilibrium is in favour of magnesium oxide.  However, by removing the magnesium vapour as it is produced, the reactiongoes to completion.  The silica combines with calcium oxide to form the molten slag, calcium silicate:

The process gives magnesium with up to 99.99% purity, slightly higher than from the electrolytic processes.

(b) The electrolytic process

Outside China, the electrolytic process is usually the preferred choice.

The process involves two stages:
i) production of pure magnesium chloride from sea water or brine
ii) electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride

(i) Production of pure magnesium chloride from sea water or brine

Where sea-water is the raw material, it is treated with dolomite which has been converted to mixed oxides by heating to a high temperature.  Magnesium hydroxide precipitates, while calcium hydroxide remains in solution.  Magnesium hydroxide is filtered off and on heating readily forms the pure the oxide.
Conversion to magnesium chloride is achieved by heating the oxide, mixed with carbon, in a stream of chlorine at a high temperature in an electric furnace (Figure 1).

Figure 1  Illustrating the production of magnesium chloride from magnesium oxide.

Several reactions occur:

Where magnesium chloride-rich brines are the source of magnesium, the solution is treated for removal of various impurities and the remaining magnesium chloride solution concentrated by evaporation in several stages.

The last stage of dehydration has to be carried out in the presence of hydrogen chloride gas to avoid hydrolysis of the magnesium chloride:

A new process is under development using magnesite.  Small pieces of the ore are converted directly to molten magnesium chloride by heating with chlorine in an electric furnace in the presence of carbon monoxide.

(ii) The electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride

The resulting anhydrous magnesium chloride is fed continuously into electrolytic cells (Figure 2) which are hot enough to melt it.

On electrolysis, magnesium and chlorine are produced:

Figure 2  Illustrating the electrolysis of magnesium chloride.

The molten metal is removed and cast into ingots.  The chlorine gas is recycled to the chlorination furnace.

Secondary production

Only about 3% of the total magnesium used annually is from recycling, an estimated 23 000 tonnes.

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Date last amended: 2nd October

A basic description of magnesium does not come close to reflecting its true worth. It is the eighth most common element in the universe, an alkaline earth metal found in abundance in the Earth’s crust and seas, and the lightest metal on earth, one that emits a bright light when burned.

That’s magnesium in a nutshell. But a closer look will reveal much more:

• a metal that can be blended with other metals to create lightweight alloys to make heavy objects (e.g., automobile frames) lighter and energy-efficient or bond with considerably heavier, more precious metals to protect them from corrosion
• an element that enhances crop yields, serves as an essential nutrient in humans; directs chlorophyll to carry out photosynthesis; and supports the normal activity of hundreds of enzymes in plants, animals, and humans

Thus, magnesium supports life as we know it and industry as we would like it to be.

The History of Magnesium

Magnesium is “born” among the stars through the fusion of helium and neon under extreme temperatures. These stars explode periodically, releasing magnesium into the atmosphere to become embedded in the Earth’s crust. Despite its abundance, little was known about this element until the 17th century.

A herd of thirsty cows led us on the road to its discovery

The cows belonged to an Englishman named Henry Wicker. One summer day in in Epsom Common—a pastoral setting in southeastern England—Wicker noticed that his cows refused to drink from a particular pool of water. Given that England was in the grips of a severe drought that day, he found this behavior disturbing. 

Taking a sip of the water, he discovered the reason for their behavior: The water was bitter. Wicker attempted to isolate the substance responsible for the bitter taste. In so doing, he isolated a compound with a laxative effect. It turned out to be magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), now known as Epsom salts.

Two hundred years later

Over the next 200 years, scientists attempted to purify the metal in this substance–a task made complicated by the fact that Mg is never free in nature but commonly binds with oxygen to form magnesium oxide (MgO). In , the Scottish scientist Joseph Black proposed that this unknown metal is a chemical element. 

In , the Austrian scientist Anton Rupprecht tried to purify it by heating it with charcoal. It was finally purified completely in by the British scientist Humphry Davy using electrolysis. It was finally produced in large amounts in by the French chemist Antoine Bussy. Today, it is prepared mainly by reducing MgO with silicon or through the electrolysis of molten magnesium chloride.

Sources of Magnesium

Magnesium is found in both soil and sea. ICL’s magnesium is extracted from the unique mineral-rich brines of the Dead Sea. Magnesium is usually bonded with another element (e.g., as MgO or magnesium chloride) and must undergo a chemical process or electrolysis to be released. 

In the soil, it enters plants through their roots to become the key component of chlorophyll, directing it to carry out photosynthesis. It is also an essential nutrient in foods, especially whole grains and green leafy vegetables.

Magnesium for Life

Humans, animals, plants, even bacteria depend on magnesium for a good life. It keeps hundreds of enzymes working properly in every human body. Humans use it to maintain strong bones and teeth, a normal heart rhythm, and normal muscle and nerve activity.

Plants use it to turn sunlight into starches and sugars for their own survival and for the nutritional needs of those of us who are higher on the food chain. Plants can also help us “higher-ups” stay healthy by killing bacteria that cause inflammation.

Its microbe-killing qualities make it suitable for cosmetics as well as medicine. Several plants are used to make creams and potions to keep our skin smooth and healthy. A good example is aloe vera. 

Known to botanists as Aloe barbadensis miller, this shrubby, succulent perennial can be used to heal skin burns and ulcers while controlling diabetes, AIDS, and cancer and fighting fungal and bacterial infections and inflammation. 

One of the key chemicals in the aloe plant that allows it to do all of this is aloin. Researchers recently learned that aloin levels increase with the amount of magnesium in the soil. As long as the proper proportion of Mg in the soil is maintained, aloin can do its job.

Applications and Uses 

The use of magnesium is determined by the other element with which it is bonded. For example, magnesium

• sulfate is used to fix the dye to fabrics, 
• hydroxide is used to make plastics fire retardant
• chloride is widely used for environmentally friendly de-icing and de-dusting
• sulfate (Epsom salts), or hydroxide (milk of magnesia) is used in medications
• oxides have a wide range of uses both in industrial and health-related applications

Industrial Uses of Magnesium 

Magnesium industrial uses take advantage of the lightweight, malleability, or bright light of free Mg, which is obtained artificially, or manipulate MgO to make it sturdier or capable of hardening in air.

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Magnesium in Industry

Lights, cameras—and bombs away!

The bright light given off by burning magnesium was used in flashbulbs for professional photographers. Today, it is used mainly in incendiary devices, such as distress flares, and fireworks.

Bending to every occasion

In the magnesium alloys manufacturing industry, magnesium is blended with aluminum to create lightweight, flexible components for airplanes and automobiles (e.g., car seats and luggage).

Rust prevention: the sacrificial metal

Magnesium is an electropositive metal. It can be used to coat iron and steel structures, because it corrodes preferentially to those metals, thereby preventing the formation of rust.

Personal Care Applications

Bacteria are the main cause of offensive body odors. Odor-causing bacteria usually thrive on moderate levels of magnesium in their environment. But when that concentration reaches a critical mass, it becomes toxic, threatening the integrity of the bacterial wall. 

Personal care manufacturers are taking advantage of this feature to formulate deodorants, baby skincare products, and wash-off masks while avoiding heavier metals.

ICL’s CareMag line for skincare products is based on magnesium and natural materials from the Dead Sea. Using magnesium salts like magnesium hydroxide and magnesium carbonate hydroxide, we produce a deodorant with an impressive malodor-lowering effect, a zinc-free rash-fighting cream for babies, and a wash-off face mask that is just as effective in smoothing skin and improving sensorial touch as its more potentially irritating predecessors.

Magnesium Oxide Industrial Uses 

Magnesium oxide (MgO) industrial uses include the manufacture of refractory bricks to line steel transfer applications and cement, which hardens quickly in its presence. It is also used in chemical industries, where its resistance to corrosion is highly valued; in the manufacture of brake linings because of its thermomechanical properties; and for plasma display screens because of its electro-optical properties. ICL manufactures magnesium oxide used in the rubber and plastics industries for the modification of polymer properties of rubber and plastic compounds.

The importance of MgO in agriculture is reflected in the decrease of soil magnesium levels accompanying the increased use of fertile soil using non-MgO fertilizers, as well as climate change, which increases carbon dioxide levels in soil, thereby increasing soil acidity and reducing magnesium levels. 

Studies have shown that MgO-based fertilizers increase crop yields and agronomic efficiency over non-MgO fertilizers. Continued studies are needed to determine the best conditions and methods for applying Mg fertilizers to optimize crop yield.

Magnesium: Good for the Body?

Why your body needs magnesium? Evidence that magnesium is good for the body lies in its ability to keep more than 300 enzymes working properly while supporting normal nerve and muscle function and controlling common clinical disorders (e.g., hypertension and diabetes mellitus).

As with any nutrient, there is always a risk of deficiency. A magnesium deficiency is difficult to identify, unfortunately, for the following reasons:

1. Magnesium stores in bone are released as blood levels decline, thereby keeping serum levels artificially high.
2. The kidneys reabsorb Mg efficiently, thereby keeping urine levels artificially high.
3. Benchmarks of normal Mg levels are lacking because serum levels have not been reported for many years in standard surveys. Thus, the low US intake of 250 to 350 mg daily (vs the recommended 310-320 mg for women and 400-420 mg for men) can produce tissue levels that appear “normal.”

In healthy individuals, a deficiency can be corrected with supplements and dietary changes. 

ICL manufactures magnesium oxide in different grades excelling in its low impurities and tailor-made physical parameters to serve the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food industries. 

Magnesium may be sent from the heavens to Earth to maintain life as we know it. The discovery of its characteristics and methods of production has led to the development of products that make life safer and more enjoyable. Continued studies may allow us to avoid deficiencies in the human body for optimal health and in the soil to provide sustenance for the entire world.

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