WESTERN MAGNESIUM ANNOUNCES ADVANCEMENTS IN LOW-COST GREEN MAGNESIUM METAL PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY SETTING STAGE FOR COMMERCIALIZATION
Western Magnesium Corporation has new advancements to its proprietary technology for the production of low-cost, green magnesium metal. Long hailed as a vital strategic commodity, magnesium metal’s light weight and strength make it an ideal replacement for costly composite materials and heavy aluminum and steel.
For the past decade, Western Magnesium has been in research and development of a new process that overcomes traditional production obstacles inherent in batch production methods, which are used in China and other emerging countries with lax labor and environmental standards.
Western Magnesium’s proprietary technology is based on a modified silicothermic process, which is a continuous production process delivering the following benefits:
Increased throughput and compressed production times. Opposed to batch production processes, Western Magnesium’s technology does not expend time, thermal energy or labor in a stop-and-go operation to service the process equipment.
Less manpower. Under the company’s technology, production labor is only required to feed raw materials and handle the final product.
A closed, contained system. Western Magnesium’s system never exposes hot, raw magnesium to the atmosphere, thereby greatly reducing lost product, toxic waste and emissions.
The Company’s ‘Alpha’ condenser, which was announced operational on July 18, 2018, provided proof of concept by producing a magnesium ingot on December 11, 2018. Since then, the technical team at Western Magnesium has generated a conceptual design applicable to a production scale, silicothermic reduction operation.
Recent advancements to the technology have demonstrated production of magnesium metal, while reducing non-toxic byproducts and cost, when compared to traditional production methods. Developments include continued reduction of power requirements. Since the system is a solid-state reaction, emissions from handling liquid slag are eliminated.
“Our vision is to develop a magnesium production process that will create a cornerstone industry allowing innovation in industries as diverse as automotive, aerospace, defense and general manufacturing,” says Sam Ataya, CEO of Western Magnesium. “These innovations now set the stage for commercialization and we are currently evaluating a location in Stevens County, Washington to place our first commercial furnace, with other locations to follow.”
Much smaller and scalable as opposed to traditional production processes, the company believes its technology could enable plants to be located in any number of post-industrial American cities, which are close to magnesium users, serving as a lynchpin for economic development. Thus creating an American magnesium metal revolution, spurring U.S. manufacturing innovation.
About Western Magnesium
Western Magnesium’s goal is to be a low-cost producer of green, primary magnesium metal, a strategic commodity prized for its strength and lightweight. Unlike outdated and costly production processes, Western Magnesium looks to use a continuous silicothermic process to produce magnesium, which significantly reduces labor and energy costs relative to current methods and processes, while being environmentally friendly.
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