U.S. production of primary magnesium rose 10 percent in 1971, to 123,485 short tons. Secondary magnesium recovery was 13,418 short tons for the year. The entire quantity of primary magnesium metal produced came from The Dow Chemical Co.'s electrolytic plants in Freeport, Tex., and from American Magnesium Co.'s electrolytic plant in Snyder, Tex. NL Industries, Inc. (NL), expected operational startup of its magnesium plant late in the year. NL's $70-million project will use a 250-million-gallon-brine-storage tank that is a mile in circumference and completely lined with 2.4 million square feet of synthetic rubber to protect against leakage. The tank will store more than a year's supply of raw material cell feed. The reduction plant, located on the southwestern shore of the Great Salt Lake, near Rowley and Grantsville, Tooele County, Utah, will have an annual capacity of 45,000 tons per year of magnesium metal and 80,000 tons of chlorine. Great Salt Lake Minerals and Chemicals Corp. (GSL) continued to concentrate lake brine at its 14,000-acre evaporation pond on the east shore of the Great Salt Lake near Ogden, Utah. The solar evaporation installation, largest of its kind in the 1 Chemist, Division of Nonferrous Metals. world, will have initial annual capacities of 200,000 tons of magnesium chloride, 240,000 tons of potassium sulfate, and 150,000 tons of sodium sulfate. Difficulties arising from weather conditions in 1971 posed problems in brine management at the plant. Wet weather early in the year caused dilution of the brines, thereby increasing volume and creating transportation problems. Additionally, ponds were either run too deep, or too shallow. Efforts to conserve magnesium-rich bitterns resulted in low grade and reduced potash yield. Owing to the difficulties incurred, GSL estimated that normal operations would be set back at least 2 years. The Dow Chemical Co. announced a slowdown in the construction of its electrolytic plant in Dallesport, Wash. The plant, which has a planned initial capacity of 25,000 tons of magnesium per year, was estimated to be 25 percent complete, and is now scheduled for completion in January 1975. During December 1971, The Dow Chemical Co. cancelled its contract with GSL under which deliveries of magnesium chloride hexahydrate crystals to Dow's Dallesport facilities were to have begun in 1972. Under the agreement, Dow paid GSL $2,975,000 in cancellation charges. The Aluminum Co. of America (Alcoa) planned to construct a plant at Addy, Wash., to produce magnesium from dolomite by the silicothermic process. Alcoa was reported to have acquired property for the 20,000-ton-per-year magnesium facility. The plant is estimated to cost $25 to $50 million and will employ between 300 and 400 people when on stream. Table 2.-Magnesium recovered from scrap processed in the United States, by kind of scrap and form of recovery 1 Figures include secondary magnesium content of both secondary and primary magnesium alloy ingot. CONSUMPTION AND USES In 1971 consumption of magnesium increased 6 percent, to 99,101 tons. As in the previous year, the largest single use of magnesium was for aluminum alloys, which accounted for 40 percent of the total consumption. The consumption of magnesium in anodes for cathodic protection increased almost twofold. Table 3.-Consumption of primary magnesium in the United States, by uses Includes primary metal to produce small quantities of investment castings. 2 Included with "Extrusions.' Includes "Forgings." * Included with "Other." $ Includes primary metal for experimental purposes. Table 4.-Stocks and consumption of new and old magnesium scrap in the United States FOREIGN TRADE U.S. exports of primary magnesium declined from 35,732 short tons in 1970 to 24,311 tons in 1971. Exports to West Germany were down 9,163 tons from the 1970 level. However, West Germany was the largest customer for U.S. magnesium, accounting for 41 percent of the total exported in 1971. Imports by Brazil, Canada, and Mexico accounted for 28, 9, and 4 percent, respectively, of the total U.S. primary metal exported. Shipments to Italy, Argentina, Spain, and Australia collectively totaled 2,190 tons or 9 percent of total exports; the remaining 2,260 tons was exported to approximately 20 countries. Total imports for consumption of magnesium increased 11 percent over that of 1970. Canada, by far the largest of U.S. sources, contributed 53 percent of the total metal imported. Receipts from West Germany and the United Kingdom constituted 20 and 4 percent, respectively, of the total imports. The remainder of U.S. imports, 834 tons, was contributed by 10 other nations. Under the provisions of the "Kennedy round" trade agreements, another series of tariff reductions became effective on January 1, 1971. The import duty on nonalloyed unwrought magnesium was dropped to 24 percent from the 28 percent ad valorem rate of the previous year; the duty on unwrought alloys was lowered from 11 cents per pound on magnesium content plus 5.5 percent ad valorem to 9.5 cents per pound plus 4.5 percent ad valorem; and the duty on wrought magnesium was reduced from 9.4 per pound on magnesium content plus 4.5 percent ad valorem to 8 cents per pound plus 4 percent ad valo rem. Table 5.-U.S. exports of magnesium, by classes and countries |