At the beginning of the 20th century, 80% of the world’s primary magnesium production was produced by electrolysis, and 20% was produced by thermal reduction. After the 1990s, the production of crude magnesium by the thermal reduction method increased rapidly, and the production cost of the electrolysis method was high, and the electrolysis methods at home and abroad were closed one after another. At present, 80% of crude magnesium in the world is produced by thermal reduction method, of which more than 90% is produced by Pidgeon method.
The magnesium smelting industry is a high energy-consuming industry with high energy consumption. In the production process of magnesium, a large amount of “three wastes” will be produced, and the greenhouse gas emission per unit of metal is five times that of the steel industry.