METHOD OF SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCING SUBSTANTIALLY PURE MAGNESIUM OXIDE AND MAGNESIUM METAL FROM CRUDE OR CALCINED ORES CONTAINING MAGNESIUM CARBONATE

摘要

A process for producing magnesium oxide and magnesium from magnesium carbonate-containing ores, in which the latter are dissolved in hydrochloric acid and two part-streams are formed from the magnesium chloride brine obtained in the process, one part-stream of which is passed into a thermal reactor (13) and is dissociated there into magnesium oxide and hydrogen chloride gas. The other part-stream is evaporated, crystallised and dehydrated, and in a molten-salt electrolyser (33) is then split into magnesium metal and chlorine gas. The chlorine gas is fed to the flame of the thermal reactor (13), and the hydrogen chloride gas produced is used to form the hydrochloric acid employed for dissolving the ore. The process permits the simultaneous production of pure magnesium oxide and magnesium metal in an economical and environmentally safe manner. IMAGE