Magnesium
Domestic production and use
- In 2005, magnesium was formed by one company in Utah by an electrolytic process that improved magnesium from brines from the Great Salt Lake. Structural uses of magnesium were the leading use for primary magnesium, accounting for 59% of apparent consumption.
- Magnesium used as a element of aluminum-base alloys that were used for packaging, transportation, and other applications accounted for 28% of primary metal use. Desulfurization of iron and steel accounted for 7% of U.S. consumption of primary metal, and other uses were 6%.
Recycling
In 2005, about 20,000 tons of the secondary production was recovered from old scrap.
Substitutes
Aluminum and zinc may substitute for magnesium in castings and wrought products. For iron and steel desulfurization, calcium carbide may be used instead of magnesium.
World Resources
Resources from which magnesium may be recovered range from large to virtually unlimited and are globally widespread. Resources of dolomite and magnesium-bearing evaporite minerals are enormous. Magnesium-bearing brines are estimated to constitute a resource in the billions of tons, and magnesium can be recovered from seawater at places along world coastlines.
