Magnesium: From Resources to Production

143 Pages·2018·2.944 MB·English

by  Hussein K. Abdel-Aal

Magnesium
From Resources to Production

Magnesium
From Resources to P roduction
Hussein K. Abdel-Aal
K345333_Title Page.indd 2 04/03/18 9:29:09 AM
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2019 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Printed on acid-free paper
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-8153-4633-3 (Hardback)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts
have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize
to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material
has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, trans-
mitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.
com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and
registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the
CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Abdel-Aal, Hussein K., author.
Title: Magnesium : from resources to production / Hussein K. Abdel-Aal.
Description: First edition. | Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press/Taylor & Francis
Group, 2018. | “A CRC title, part of the Taylor & Francis imprint, a
member of the Taylor & Francis Group, the academic division of T&F Informa
plc.” | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018006574 | ISBN 9780815346333 (hardback : acid-free paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Magnesium.
Classification: LCC TA480.M3 A23 2018 | DDC 661/.0392--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018006574
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
Contents
Preface ......................................................................................................................ix
CRC Press
Acknowledgments .................................................................................................xi
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Author ...................................................................................................................xiii
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2018 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 1. Introduction .....................................................................................................1
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business 1.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................1
1.2 Resources of Magnesium .....................................................................2
No claim to original U.S. Government works
1.3 How to Obtain Magnesium? ...............................................................3
Printed on acid-free paper
1.4 The Establishment of the International Society for the
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-8153-4633-3 (Hardback) Development of Research on Magnesium .........................................5
1.5 Minerals Cycle .......................................................................................6
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts
1.6 The Motivation for Writing a Book on Magnesium .........................7
have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize 2. Occurrence and Resources of Magnesium ................................................9
to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material
2.1 Background ............................................................................................9
has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
2.2 Occurrence ...........................................................................................10
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, trans-
2.3 Sources of Magnesium .......................................................................10
mitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval 2.3.1 Magnesite ................................................................................13
system, without written permission from the publishers. 2.3.2 Mining and Extraction ..........................................................15
2.4 Magnesium Resources World Wide .................................................16
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.
com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood 2.4.1 Australian Resources, Deposits, and Processing ..............16
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and 2.4.2 Magnesium Resources in China ..........................................18
registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the
2.5 Primary Magnesium Production ......................................................18
CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged.
2.6 “Extraction” is a Key Process ............................................................19
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
3. Magnesium and Mineral Salts from Seawater: Exploration Study .....23
3.1 Introduction .........................................................................................23
Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
3.2 Principal Mineral Resources .............................................................24
Names: Abdel-Aal, Hussein K., author.
3.2.1 Historical Background ..........................................................24
Title: Magnesium : from resources to production / Hussein K. Abdel-Aal.
Description: First edition. | Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press/Taylor & Francis 3.2.2 Minerals Extracted .................................................................25
Group, 2018. | “A CRC title, part of the Taylor & Francis imprint, a 3.3 Minerals in Sea Salt ............................................................................26
member of the Taylor & Francis Group, the academic division of T&F Informa
3.4 Evaporation and Separation Sequence of Salts ...............................29
plc.” | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018006574 | ISBN 9780815346333 (hardback : acid-free paper) 3.5 Theory of Evaporating Seawater and Precipitating Salts ..............33
Subjects: LCSH: Magnesium. 3.5.1 Ocean Water Profile ...............................................................33
Classification: LCC TA480.M3 A23 2018 | DDC 661/.0392--dc23
3.5.2 Deep Sea Resources ...............................................................34
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018006574
3.5.3 Evaporating Seawater ............................................................34
3.6 Economic Feasibility of Mineral Salts Recovery .............................36
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
v
vi Contents
4. Production of Magnesium Chloride: An Overview ..............................39
4.1 Introduction .........................................................................................39
4.2 Magnesium Chloride from Seawater ...............................................40
4.2.1 Dow Process ...........................................................................40
4.2.2 Extraction from Dolomite and Magnesite Ores ................41
4.3 MgCl  Extraction from Desalination Plants ....................................41
2
4.4 Dual-Purpose Solvay-Dow: Conceptual Process............................42
4.5 Modified Desalination Scheme .........................................................42
4.5.1 Introduction ............................................................................42
4.5.2 Concentrate Management .....................................................43
4.5.3 Objective ..................................................................................43
4.5.4 The Road Map to Our Proposed Multipurpose
Desalination Scheme .............................................................44
4.5.5 Solar Evaporation Unit (Brine Concentration) ...................45
4.5.6 Chemical Conversion Unit....................................................45
4.5.7 Auxiliary Units .......................................................................45
4.5.8 Case Study: Process Analysis and Material Balance
Calculations ............................................................................46
4.6 Seawater Bitterns .................................................................................51
5. Production of Magnesium Chloride from Seawater: Proposed
Method-Preferential Salt Separation .......................................................53
5.1 Introduction .........................................................................................53
5.2 Preferential Salt Separation ...............................................................53
5.2.1 Background .............................................................................53
5.2.2 Experimental Work ................................................................54
5.2.3 Additional Experimental Work ...........................................55
5.3 Experimental Results Using Preferential Salt
Separation—“Dynamic-Flow” ..........................................................56
5.4 Preferential Salt Separation—“Static-Flow” or Batch Model ........57
5.4.1 Experimental Results ............................................................57
5.5 Proposed Small-Scale Integrated Pilot Model ................................57
5.6 Mathematical Model for the Evaporation of Seawater along
the Preferential Salt Separation: Flow of a Falling Film
across an Inclined Flat Surface ..........................................................59
5.6.1 Introduction ............................................................................59
5.6.2 Theoretical Background ........................................................59
5.6.3 Results .....................................................................................60
5.7 Proposals for Other Separation Options: Separation of
Magnesium Chloride from Sodium Chloride in Seawater by
the Dense-Phase Technique ...............................................................63
Contents vii
6. Commercial Methods for Magnesium Production ................................65
6.1 Introduction/Classification ...............................................................65
6.2 Electrolytic Processes .........................................................................67
6.2.1 Outline of Process Techniques .............................................67
6.2.2 Fundamentals .........................................................................68
6.2.3 Electrolysis of Magnesium Chloride ...................................69
6.2.4 Types of Electrolytic Cells ....................................................70
6.2.5 Dow Process ...........................................................................71
6.2.6 Production of Magnesium Chloride from
Magnesium Oxide .................................................................72
6.3 Thermal Reduction Process ...............................................................73
6.4 Magnesium Processes for Tomorrow ...............................................76
6.4.1 First: Electrolytic Processes ..................................................76
6.4.1.1 Process 1—Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory ...............................................................76
6.4.1.2 Process 2—Solid Oxide Membrane
Technology (MgO) .................................................77
6.4.1.3 Process 3—Norsk Hydro Process ........................78
6.4.1.4 Process 4—Dow Modified Cell ............................79
6.4.1.5 Process 5—Dead Sea Magnesium ........................79
6.4.2 Second: Thermal Processes ..................................................79
6.5 Magnesium Recycling ........................................................................80
6.6 Annual Production of Magnesium ...................................................80
7. Current Applications of Magnesium and Prospective Ones in
the Field of Energy Domain .......................................................................83
7.1 Introduction .........................................................................................83
7.2 Current Applications of Magnesium ...............................................84
7.3 Magnesium Alloys ..............................................................................84
7.4 Mechanical Applications for Magnesium .......................................85
7.5 Other Applications ..............................................................................87
7.6 Magnesium as Energy Carrier ..........................................................88
7.6.1 Background .............................................................................88
7.6.2 Process Description for Magnesium as Energy Carrier ...88
7.6.3 Design Features of the Proposed Energy System .............88
7.6.4 Process Description for Recycling Magnesium .................89
7.7 Magnesium as an Alternative Power Source ..................................91
7.8 Magnesium and Global Warming ....................................................94
7.9 Oil versus Magnesium: Hunting for Oil and Gas or Looking
for Magnesium? ...................................................................................95
7.9.1 Background .............................................................................95
7.9.2 Analysis and Discussion .......................................................96
viii Contents
8. Magnesium: A Potential Hydrogen Storage Medium...........................97
8.1 Introduction .........................................................................................97
8.2 Storage of Hydrogen ...........................................................................98
8.2.1 Background .............................................................................98
8.2.2 Onboard Storage of Hydrogen ...........................................100
8.3 Developments in the Storage Medium ..........................................102
8.4 The Problems of Using Hydrides as a Source of Fuel for
Vehicles ...............................................................................................102
8.5 Mechanism of Hydrides Formation ...............................................103
8.6 Preparation of Magnesium Hydride ..............................................104
8.7 Nanostructured Magnesium Hydrides .........................................105
8.8 Preparation of High-Purity Magnesium Hydride by the
Second Hydrogenation Method ......................................................105
8.9 Renewable Hydrogen-Magnesium Proposal ................................106
Appendix A: Magnesium Facts and Uses .....................................................109
Appendix B: Common Compounds of Magnesium and
Magnesium Ores ........................................................................115
Appendix C: A Letter about PSS ....................................................................117
Bibliography ........................................................................................................119
Index .....................................................................................................................125
Preface
If I had to go back and reselect a title for my book; I would have given it the
title: Magnesium the Dream, or Magnesium: Metal of the Future. Two reasons
justify this title:
• Today, magnesium is bringing a new revolution in the energy
domain as an alternative new source of energy, which is a kind of
dream!
• It is a dream to see that this book has published. Four decades have
elapsed since our first experiment was carried out at KFUPM lab-
oratory to recover magnesium from brine by the Preferential Salt
Separation (PSS).
• Magnesium is described as the “lamp of life. It captures the light
energy from the sun. Magnesium is bound as the central atom of the
porphyrin ring of the green plant pigment chlorophyll. It is the ele-
ment that causes plants to be able to convert light into energy.
Magnesium is the metal of the future! This post was found on the web
from an enthusiastic magnesium believer. It fairly sums up the consensus
surrounding the future of magnesium. Magnesium is 33% lighter than alumi-
num, 60% lighter than titanium, and 75% lighter than steel.
Despite the fact that it is easy to find, magnesium is never found free in
nature. As a result, many different methods have been developed to separate
magnesium from other substances. Magnesium would be described as a
friendly or versatile element, since it bonds with other elements. In other words,
it does not live in isolation. Good examples are MgCl and MgO. Because of
2
its strong reactivity, it does not occur in its native state, but rather it is found
in a wide variety of compounds in seawater, brines, and rocks. Its reactivity
is the reason why this very plentiful element has not been produced as a
metal earlier in civilized history, and is also responsible for certain errone-
ous ideas that tend to limit its commercial use today.
This friendship is what costs us money and energy to extract it and to
obtain it as a free element.
Much research on magnesium processes is being performed in many
areas throughout the world. The exploration into more efficient methods
is bordering on a very large breakthrough to a very efficient and lower cost
process. There are few practical examples of the further processing of brines
from desalinization plants to obtain magnesium chloride. With the available
technology we have today, this can change a waste product into a resource,
aiming for the utilization of brine, as a feed stock for magnesium produc-
tion, to take place.
ix