Abstract
Magnesium is the lightest structural metal with a density only two-thirds of aluminium and one-quarter of steel. It can be produced by electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride or high temperature reduction of the oxide. The predominant method for magnesium production is the Pidgeon process which is a batch process starting from calcined dolomite and ferrosilicon. CaF2 is commonly used in the process as the catalyst. Analyses of the slag samples and thermodynamic calculations indicated that liquid phase plays important role in the reduction process. Effects of chemistry, temperature and gas pressure on the production have been discussed and compared with the operating data. Understanding of the reaction mechanisms will provide a fundamental base for alternative processes of the magnesium production.
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© 2017 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
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Chen, M., Zhao, B.J., Chen, Y.H., Han, F.L., Wu, L.E. (2017). Reaction Mechanisms in the Silicothermic Production of Magnesium. In: Wang, S., Free, M., Alam, S., Zhang, M., Taylor, P. (eds) Applications of Process Engineering Principles in Materials Processing, Energy and Environmental Technologies. The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51091-0_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51091-0_22
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