Caustic magnesia (MgO) and Magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) are used in environmental control technology and compared with most commonly used alkalis (CaO, Ca(OH)2, NaOH, NaHCO3 etc) they present essential advantages. MgO and Mg(OH)2 as basic reagents can neutralize or capture acidic liquids or gaseous pollutants while in aqueous environment provide the ideal range of pH for heavy metals precipitation. Their lower molecular weights result to the use of less quantities for pollutants neutralization or capture and therefore to the production of less waste quantities to be disposed. The Mg-based reagents, MgO and Mg(OH)2, exhibit essential advantages compared with other used alkalis due to their milder basic character which makes them more environmentally friendly and are classified as non-dangerous basic reagents concerning the safety for their transportation and use.
MgO and Mg(OH)2 are important reagents in the environmental technology and their position is expected to further strengthen, since the international policies for maximum contaminants limits tend to become stricter. From a technical point of view and taking under consideration the total treatment costs, we may conclude that MgO and Mg(OH)2 surpass other reagents in many applications.
Because of their basic character they find use in various environmental applications having a multifunctional role. The most important applications as well as the benefits are:
