I. Overview
Magnesium oxide is an important raw material for the preparation of high-function fine inorganic materials, electronic components, inks, and harmful gas adsorbents. In recent years, with the continuous development of China’s economy, especially the rapid development of the lithium battery industry, the demand for cobalt has also increased.
II. The Comparison of the application of Sodium Carbonate and Magnesium Oxide in Cobalt Precipitation
At present, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s largest exporter of cobalt raw materials. However, in order to save costs, local companies extract cobalt using sodium carbonate. This process ultimately produces wastewater containing large amounts of sodium sulfate. Sodium sulfate wastewater is difficult to treat and direct discharge can have a very adverse impact on water quality and the environment. Now, in order to comply with environmental protection policies, local companies are also improving their processes and using magnesium oxide cobalt precipitation technology to produce cobalt hydroxide to reduce environmental pollution.
The magnesium oxide cobalt precipitation process mainly consists of impurity removal and cobalt precipitation. By adding a certain proportion of acid to the low-copper cobalt extraction residue solution, a solution containing Co2+, Cu2+, Fe3+ is obtained; then CaO (quicklime) is added to remove Cu2+ and Fe3+ from the solution; then MgO is added to react with water to form Mg(OH)2, while Mg(OH)2 reacts with Co2+ to form Co(OH)2 precipitate which slowly precipitates out of the solution.
Ze Hui also concluded from experiments that using magnesium oxide for cobalt precipitation can reduce the amount used by half compared to using sodium carbonate, saving some logistics and storage costs. At the same time, the magnesium sulfate wastewater produced by cobalt precipitation is easy to treat and is a more suitable and environmentally friendly way to extract cobalt.
III. Market Demand Forecast for Magnesium Oxide
Nowadays, magnesium oxide cobalt precipitation technology has matured, and most of Congo’s magnesium oxide is provided by China. By comparing the export volume of magnesium oxide with the proportion of magnesium oxide used in Congo, we can know the application amount of magnesium oxide in cobalt precipitation technology. It is estimated that the amount of magnesium oxide used for cobalt precipitation is still quite large.
In addition, although we cannot see magnesium oxide directly in our daily life, its application industries are very wide. Magnesium oxide is used in chemical industry, construction industry, food industry, transportation industry, pharmaceutical industry and so on. In addition to these aspects, magnesium oxide is also used in glass, dyeing, cable, electronics industry, insulation materials industry and so on. Overall, the market demand for magnesium oxide is still quite considerable.
The above is Ze Hui’s analysis of magnesium oxide in cobalt precipitation. Ze Hui Magnesium Base is one of the first domestic enterprises to research, produce and sell magnesium compounds with more than 20 years of experience in magnesium salt production. We believe that our products can make our customers satisfied.
Post time: Jul-20-2023