This startup wants to make more climate-friendly metal in the US
1 min read
Summary
A California-based company, Magrathea, has developed an electrolyser that can extract magnesium from seawater, eliminating the need for high-emissions mines commonly used in current magnesium production.
The metal is commonly used in lightweight car and plane parts, as well as defence applications, and China currently dominates the global market.
Magrathea’s process modernises existing electrolyser techniques to be more resource-efficient, which will be vital as the auto industry begins to move towards net-zero operations.
Currently, the company transforms magnesium salt bought from supplier Cargill, but hopes to begin extracting the metal directly from seawater in the future as a next step.
Magrathea hopes to begin building a demonstration plant in Utah in 2025, with a goal of beginning operations in 2027, and has already partnered with an automotive firm to purchase future magnesium produce from the plant.