How can seawater and underground brine be used to make magnesia refractories?

Magnesia refractories are essential industrial materials used for their high resistance to heat and basic slags. To produce these refractories, manufacturers utilize periclase, the mineral form of magnesium oxide (MgO), which can be derived from seawater or underground brine solutions.1

The process involves the following steps:

• Precipitation: Seawater or brine is treated to extract magnesium. A common industrial method involves mixing the solution with reactive, lightly burned dolomite in a flocculator. This reaction causes magnesium hydroxide to precipitate out of the liquid.21
• Processing: The resulting magnesium hydroxide precipitate is collected, filtered, and then calcined to produce magnesium oxide.12
• Manufacturing: Once the magnesium oxide is obtained, it is processed into periclase, which serves as the primary raw material for magnesia bricks. These bricks can be finished through various methods, including chemical bonding, pitch-bonding, or burning, to suit specific industrial applications such as furnace linings.1