【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】The “Innovation Accelerator” at the Qinghai Salt Lake Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences transforms the \"magnesium problem\" associated with Qinghai’s salt lakes into a source of \"magnesium resources\"”

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【Science and Technology Daily】\"Innovation accelerators\" turn \"magnesium hazards\" in Qinghai salt lakes into \"magnesium treasures\" 2025-03-18 Recently, at the Ganhe pilot production facility of the Qinghai Salt Lake Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, white powdered magnesium hydroxide flame retardants and magnesium-aluminum hydrotalcite stabilizers have been continuously produced on the demonstration production lines. Less than half a year after stable production began, these products became highly sought-after alternatives to imported goods. Turning the \"magnesium damage\" in salt lakes into a valuable resource and facilitating the operation of potassium fertilizer production lines… As China’s only institution dedicated to comprehensive research on salt lakes, the Qinghai Salt Lake Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has created an \"innovation accelerator\" that helps transform research results from the laboratory stage to industrial application. Developing high-value magnesium-based functional materials from salt lakes: The production of one ton of potash fertilizer results in the formation of about ten tons of magnesium chloride. “Qinghai is a major province for magnesium resources in China, and the large quantities of magnesium chloride accumulated there were once treated as a \"magnesium problem\". Due to technical limitations, the utilization rate of magnesium resources in salt lakes has remained below 2% for a long time. ”On March 12, Li Lijuan, a researcher at the Qinghai Salt Lake Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told reporters. For a long time, our country has failed to make breakthroughs in the industrialization and large-scale production technologies of high-end magnesium-based functional materials. Magnesium-based functional materials have long relied on imports. Having dealt with salt lakes for decades, Li Lijuan has consistently focused on the development of high-value magnesium-based functional materials derived from salt lakes. “Magnesium hydroxide is a ‘star’ among flame retardants, with a wide range of applications – from phone cases and refrigerator casings to communication cables. ”Li Lijuan explained that high-end magnesium-based hydrotalcite heat stabilizers are primarily used in transparent PVC and spandex-type polymer materials. \"China is the world’s largest producer of PVC and spandex, but the high-end hydrotalcites used in these applications rely mainly on imports.\" ” In 2024, Li Lijuan’s team collaborated with Qinghai Aiteke Salt Lake Technology Co., Ltd. to establish an industrial demonstration line at the Ganhe pilot plant for the production of 2,000 tons of magnesium hydroxide flame retardants with special morphologies, as well as 2,000 tons of micro-nano magnesium-based hydrotalcite heat stabilizers. These related products have not only gained the favor of domestic manufacturers but also secured orders from abroad. “We hope to build larger-scale production lines next to the salt lake to manufacture high-end magnesium-based functional materials with high added value. ”Li Lijuan is full of expectations for the future. The carnallite deposits in salt lakes are the main raw material for producing potassium fertilizers. Previously, the carnallite mines of a potash fertilizer company in Qinghai suffered from high sodium chloride content and fine particle size, which severely hindered production. To optimize the production process, Fu Zhenhai’s team, an associate researcher at the Qinghai Salt Lake Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a thorough analysis of the operation status of various units in the company’s manufacturing process, and carried out systematic experimental studies aimed at improving the cold crystallization process for fine-grained, high-sodium carnallite ore. “In the past, when working on projects, pilot testing was only carried out during the enterprise transition phase. ”Fu Zhenhai said, “Now, we use the flotation, decomposition crystallization, evaporation, and other equipment available at the pilot plant to test the effectiveness of experiments, thereby obtaining a great deal of valuable data before proceeding with technology transfer.” ” Transferring the \"feasibility\" demonstrated in the laboratory to the production facility – the breakthrough from 0 to 1, and then the leap to industrial production from 1 to 100… In the eyes of Ye Xiushen, director of the Ganhe Pilot Plant at the Qinghai Salt Lake Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the former is a crucial step for testing innovative concepts, ideas, and their feasibility, while the latter is the process of turning that feasibility into actual industrial production. This involves many complex factors such as processes, equipment, and raw materials, and its difficulty is no less than that of achieving the breakthrough from 0 to 1. “We conduct salt lake research, and in the laboratory we often focus more on feasibility. ”Ye Xiushen, who has spent over 20 years working intensively in the laboratory, said, “The reactors in the laboratory are just bottles and containers, about the size of paper cups; a gentle stirring with a spoon is enough to mix the raw materials evenly.” But at the industrial production stage, the reactors become large units ranging from a few cubic meters to several hundred cubic meters, and achieving uniform mass transfer is no easy task. ” To conduct experiments, researchers often strive for the most ideal experimental conditions. Ye Xiushen gave an example, stating that the raw materials used in experiments are often of very high purity, and large-sized raw materials are ground into powder to increase the reaction rate. However, in large-scale industrial production, it is not very practical to achieve these two things. “In the past, the lithium extraction process from salt lakes could be completed in a laboratory within one or two years, but once put into production, it might take over a decade to achieve successful extraction. ”Ye Xiushen said. In the pilot plant of the “Innovation Accelerator,” researchers can transfer the reactions that take place in bottles and flasks in the laboratory to larger-scale simulated industrial reactors, thereby carrying out engineering-based validation and scale-up. At present, the Ganhe pilot plant facility has 4 dedicated platforms, as well as two general-purpose platforms for the separation and purification of salt lake salts and minerals, and for the preparation of materials derived from salt lake salts and minerals. Over the past 5 years, more than 30 major projects at the national, provincial, and municipal levels have undergone pilot testing and engineering validation.