The Pedersen Process was developed at the beginning of the 20th century as an alternative process to the Bayer route for producing alumina Al2O3. A successful operation in an industrial environment took place in Norway from 1925 to 1969. It ended due to economic reasons. Having a smaller environmental footprint (no bauxite residue) and the ability to handle alternative raw materials makes the approach promising for grappling with future challenges in Europe. This paper shows the status of the ongoing European Commission-funded work and the outline of a first industrial process concept.

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Magnesia is mainly produced from carbonate sources (magnesite (MgCO3)), and seawater brines (MgCl2). The calcination of magnesite and the precipitation of brine using quicklime (CaO) are processes that have significant CO2 footprints, even before considering the burning of hydrocarbons required to meet the energy demand. There are also significant amounts of silica-based magnesia raw materials available worldwide, such as serpentine, dunite, and olivine. It is possible to produce synthetic MgO of high purity using a HCl-based process. HCl can be fully recycled and reused. If a carbon-neutral heating source such as electricity, synthetic fuel, or plasma is used for the pyrohydrolysis process, the result is the production of MgO via a carbon-neutral process.