Industry discussions on development strategies for the magnesium industry

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The industry discussed strategies for the development of the magnesium sector. Source: China Chemical Industry Information Network. Golmud City in Qinghai Province, known as China’s Salt Lake City and the largest source of magnesium resources in the country, hosted a forum on the development of the magnesium industry on July 22. Nearly 100 representatives from relevant departments, industry organizations, universities and research institutions, as well as world-renowned manufacturing companies, attended the forum. 　　At the forum, the local authorities **provided an overview of the magnesium resources in Qinghai’s salt lakes, as well as the current status and future prospects for their exploitation ； An official from the Raw Materials Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology presented the current status of China’s magnesium industry, focusing on the macroscopic approaches and policies for its development during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, as well as on guidance through plans, industry access regulations, and support for the deep processing of magnesium ； Representatives from the Magnesium Branch of the China Non-ferrous Metals Industry Association gave speeches on the processing and applications of magnesium alloys; HATCH Corporation from Canada spoke on the development trends of the metal magnesium industry worldwide; and Qinghai Salt Lake Co., Ltd. discussed the utilization of magnesium resources in Qinghai’s salt lakes. 　　The forum also exchanged views and discussed the processing technologies related to magnesium and magnesium materials. Wang Zhaowen, a professor at Northeastern University, spoke on the technology for producing AI-Mg alloys using molten salt electrolysis; Sun Ze, an associate professor at East China University of Science and Technology, discussed the optimization and design of energy-efficient electrolyzer structures; and a representative from Laohé Smelting Technology Co., Ltd. talked about the development trends and processes for the further processing of magnesium materials. 　　It is reported that among the numerous salt lakes in Qinghai’s Qaidam Basin, there are abundant resources of magnesium chloride; alone, the Chaharhan Salt Lake located in Golmud City contains around 4 billion tons of magnesium resources, making it the largest magnesium resource area in the world. It is said that Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co., Ltd., Asia’s largest producer of potash fertilizer, generates about 10 tons of magnesium chloride waste liquid for every ton of potash fertilizer it produces. Based on the company’s current potash fertilizer production capacity, approximately 30 million tons of magnesium chloride waste liquid will be generated each year. These waste streams contain large amounts of magnesium in high quality, making them extremely valuable raw materials for the magnesium industry. Based on this, Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co., Ltd. has already introduced the world’s advanced magnesium electrolysis technology and related equipment. The company plans to invest 60 billion yuan to build a 400,000-ton metal magnesium production facility in two phases, with the goal of establishing the world’s largest production and supply base for metal magnesium and magnesium-based materials, and creating a world-class circular economy industrial park through an integrated approach. At present, fundraising is being accelerated for the first-phase 100,000-ton integrated magnesium metal project.