Hebei Messi Biology Co., Ltd. stated that hydromagnesite is a rare natural hydrated basic magnesium carbonate in the world, commonly known as “magnesium white”. It has a white block appearance, an earthy luster, and is known as “snow-white” or “white-flower”. Its density is 2.24g.cm3, Mohs hardness is 3.5, melting point is 730℃, and it has a monoclinic crystal structure of 123l. The ore is porous, and small bubbles float out when it is placed in water. Early researchers gave the chemical formula of hydromagnesite mainly in three forms: 3MgCO3·Mg(OH)2·3H2O, 4MgCO3·Mg(0H)2·3H2O, and 4MgCO3·Mg(OH)2·4H2O. Later, after a large number of experts’ certification, the currently recognized formula is the one containing four water molecules, namely 4MgCO3·Mg(OH)2·4H2O. In addition, the ore also contains a small amount of impurities such as CaCO3, Fe2O3, SiO2, etc.
Characteristics of hydromagnesite:
1. High magnesium content–Among the currently discovered magnesium-containing non-metallic minerals, the magnesium content of hydromagnesite ranks fourth, second only to brucite (Mg(OH)2), magnesite (MgCO3) and forsterite (Mg2SiO4).
2. Rich reserves–There are many hydromagnesite deposits in the salt lake area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in my country. In the Bange Lake area of Tibet alone, the reserves of hydromagnesite are more than 100 million tons, which is a large deposit and one of the four minerals with the highest reserves in the Tibetan salt lake. It has important industrial development value.
3. Low impurity content–In addition to the original impurities, the calcined product is mainly magnesium oxide, gaseous carbon dioxide and water, which is an environmentally friendly product. The original impurities CaCO3, Fe2O3, and SiO2 have very low contents, which generally have no effect on their application. If high-purity products need to be prepared, hydromagnesite is easy to remove due to its low impurity content. Therefore, hydromagnesite is a natural high-quality mineral resource for the preparation of magnesium materials and has good development prospects and use value.