Research Article

Waste Management & Research

29(7) 686–693

Recycling of aluminium scrap for ! The Author(s) 2011

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secondary Al–Si alloys DOI: 10.1177/0734242X10381413
wmr.sagepub.com

Eulogio Velasco1 and Jose Nino2

Abstract
An increasing amount of recycled aluminium is going into the production of aluminium alloy used for automotive applica-
tions. In these applications, it is necessary to control and remove alloy impurities and inclusions. Cleaning and fluxing
processes are widely used during processing of the alloys for removal of inclusions, hydrogen and excess of magnesium.
These processes use salt fluxes based in the system NaCl–KCl, injection of chlorine or mixture of chlorine with an inert gas.
The new systems include a graphite wand and a circulation device to force convection in the melt and permit the bubbling and
dispersion of reactive and cleaning agents. This paper discusses the recycling of aluminium alloys in rotary and reverberatory
industrial furnaces. It focuses on the removal of magnesium during the melting process. In rotary furnaces, the magnesium
lost is mainly due to the oxidation process at high temperatures. The magnesium removal is carried out by the reaction
between chlorine and magnesium, with its efficiency associated to kinetic factors such as concentration of magnesium, mixing,
and temperature. These factors are also related to emissions generated during the demagging process. Improvements in the
metallic yield can be reached in rotary furnaces if the process starts with a proper salt, with limits of addition, and avoiding
long holding times. To improve throughput in reverberatories, start the charging with high magnesium content material and
inject chlorine gas if the molten metal is at the right temperature. Removal of magnesium through modern technologies can be
efficiently performed to prevent environmental problems.

Keywords
Recycling, aluminium casting alloys, reverberatory furnace, demagging, gas injection pump, rotary furnace
Date received: 12 February 2010; accepted: 12 July 2010

be reduced to low levels to meet the specifications required in

Introduction
The rise in cost of petrol, and the reduction in weight and
emissions in automobiles, makes aluminium alloys an attrac-
tive option for the automotive industry. Aluminium compo-
nents are very effective in reducing weight without
compromising safety and in improving fuel consumption
(Fridlyander et al., 2002). Some powertrains and other crit-
ical parts such as cylinder heads and blocks have to meet
exacting requirements, such as high mechanical properties,
good high-cycle fatigue characteristics and special finished
conditions on sealing surfaces.
The aluminium molten metal processing requires strict
control of the alkali metal impurities, dissolved hydrogen,
non-metallic inclusions and alloy metallic elements, particu-
larly magnesium content. These characteristics define the
quality of liquid metal that affects the final properties of
the product (Velasco and Proulx, 2006).
In secondary alloys such as AA380 (LM 24), AA390
(LM 6) and AA319 (LM 21), the magnesium content must
die-casting and foundry products. Typical values for magne-
sium content in these applications are in the 0.10–0.35 wt.%
range. Most secondary aluminium in Europe is produced in
rotary furnaces. In America and rest of the world, the use of
reverberatory furnaces is most extensive. The typical charge
is a mix of different grades of aluminum scrap, RSI (recycled
scrap ingot), alloy-elements such as copper, silicon and flux-
ing agents.
During the melting process, the variability of chemistry
within a scrap source causes problems in achieving the target
1
Texas State University, Department of Engineering Technology, San
Marcos, TX, USA.
2
Research & Development Department, Nemak S.A., Monterrey,
Mexico.
Corresponding author:
Eulogio Velasco, Texas State University, Department of Engineering
Technology. 601 University Drive, 2240 R. F. Mitte Building, San
Marcos, TX 78666, USA
Email: ev15@txstate.edu

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Velasco and Nino 687

chemical composition (Damgaard et al., 2009). Inclusions, . Unidentified pieces of aluminium scrap, and differences in
alkali metals and magnesium content in aluminium melts processing.
are removed by several fluxing and cleaning techniques. . Dust, moisture, dirt and fine contaminants.
The use of fluxing covering salts, reactive gases injected
by rotor impellers, porous plug, and pump injection sys- Table 1 lists typical representative compositions of some
tems have been used to refine and clean aluminium melts base aluminium scrap used to produce recycled Al–Si alloys
in reverberatory furnaces or small sealed ladles (Utigard (Das, 2006). Alkali metals such as Na, Li, the alkaline earth
et al., 1998). metal and Ca are considered undesirable impurities in alu-
minium alloys and must be removed to low levels (parts per
million).The traditional method to refine and improve the
Overview of aluminium recycling quality of molten aluminium alloys is to use fluoride and
The fabrication of aluminium alloys coming from recycled chloride fluxing powders, cleaning and demagging with mix-
automotive components, used beverage cans (UBC) and tures of chlorine and inert gases (Aparecido and Soares,
wrought alloys are growing due to economic issues and its 2001).
positive effects in the energy savings and current environmen-
tal trends. Producing a scrap recycled aluminium ingot con-
sumes approximately 5% of the energy required to produce a
Fluxing process
primary aluminium ingot from bauxite ore (EAA, 2008). The The term ‘fluxing’ in metal treatment is related to refining
use of recycled aluminium is also important for the ecology, and cleaning of molten aluminium. Fluxing improves the
in that the production of aluminium by recycling emits about quality of the metal, minimizing oxidation and promoting
4–5% of the greenhouse gas emitted in primary production metal/oxide separation (EEA/IAI/OEA, 2009).
(Green, 2007). Some fluxing techniques include the injection of reactive
Two main furnaces technologies are used to melt alumin- gases (Cl2, SF6, Cl2/inert gas mixtures), powder injection
ium scrap: the rotary furnace and the reverberatory furnace. (AlF3, MgCl2, KMgCl3, NaAlF4) and cover salts (Bujalski
An option to recycling dirty aluminium scrap and dross is to et al., 2004).These salts are usually based on the NaCl-KCl
employ a rotary furnace, which is commonly used on a large- and MgCl2–KCl systems with additions of selected com-
scale by secondary smelters. pounds such as fluorides, chlorides and carbonates to
The aluminium scrap is loaded into a molten and protec- improve the flux properties such as fluidity, wettability and
tive salt flux bed. The furnace is heated by gas or oxy-gas reactivity (Majidi et al., 2006).
burners which generate high temperatures inside the refrac-
tory-lined chamber. The furnace is encased by a cylindrical
steel drum. During heating, the waste gases are captured by
Oxidation and magnesium removal
an extraction system. An advantage of the rotary furnace is Current melting procedures attempt to minimize metal loss
the quality of the alloy. Once molten at the end of the pro- from avoidable oxidation. Hence, furnaces are operated with
cess, the furnace is stopped and the molten aluminium is then a molten metal heel or molten salt flux to permit submergence
discharged from the furnace and directed either to transfer of light gauge scrap which is charged first. Finally, preheated
ladles or moulds, where it will solidify (Khoei et al., 2003). heavy scrap is placed on the top of the furnace charge.
Reverberatory furnaces are more adapted for clean scrap, In rotary furnaces, the only restriction for the charge
whereas rotary furnaces are suited to lower quality scrap material is the physical size. Typically, industrial rotaries
input. The traditional reverberatory is a gas-fired furnace,
tilting or stationary, with a side-bay where the aluminium
is charged (Leroy, 2009). The melting operation is enhanced
through the use of molten metal pumps. The molten metal is Table 1. Average compositions of aluminum scrap (wt.%);
IADS designation
heated in the furnace hearth by the gas-fired burners. At the
end of the process (batch or semi-continuous) the molten Raw material Cu Fe Mg Mn Si Zn
metal is ‘pumped’ or transferred to ladles or holding furnaces
Wrought 0.11 0.59 0.82 0.21 0.51 0.45
(Neff, 2009).
Cast 2.50 0.75 0.58 0.26 5.18 1.27
In the production of secondary alloys, different types of
Mixed W&C 2.30 0.80 0.50 0.20 4.50 1.20
aluminium scrap and sources generate variability in the
Transmission 3.79 0.90 0.21 0.28 10.30 2.17
chemical composition during re-melting operations. Some
UBC body (AA3104) 0.15 0.80 1.00 1.10 0.60 0.25
causes for this variation are listed here.
UBC cover (AA5182) 0.15 0.35 4.50 0.35 0.20 0.25
UBC seal (AA5182) 0.15 0.35 4.50 0.35 0.20 0.25
. Mixture of clean and uncoated aluminium.
6061 Al frames 0.25 0.60 1.00 0.13 0.60 0.20
. Wide chemistry range in the same product.

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688 Waste Management & Research 29(7)

offer a large diameter opening to receive the charge material
into the furnace. After the charge has been loaded, the fur-
nace doors are closed and the burners set at the maximum
rate for melting down. The melting rate and time spent in the
furnace has an effect on the amount of oxidation that takes
place. As seen in Figure 1, light scrap (UBC) undergoes high
oxidation in rotaries. Oxides of aluminium and aluminium
alloys form quickly on the surface of a molten bath. If the
thin layer is broken, the metal loss will increase dramatically.
Such behaviour is typically exhibited in rotary due to the
continuous rotating movement of the furnace chamber.
Figure 2 shows the scrap oxidation by furnace type. Notice
that the rotary furnace has the greatest metal loss (Goddard,
1972).
Rapid oxidation of aluminium–magnesium alloys at high
temperature is characterized by the formation of dark surface
films composed of magnesium oxide. The problem is parti-
cularly acute with Al–Mg alloy melts where removal of these
surface films before further processing results in significant
loss of magnesium (Nagelberg et al., 1992).
The oxidation of aluminium scrap containing magnesium
begins with the preferential formation of MgO. The oxide
layer is fragmented, allowing oxygen access to the virgin
metal through fissures or pores. Spinel forms from the
discharge pipe with minimal chlorine emissions in reverber-
atory furnaces.
The use of hexachloroethane tablets and carbon lances
has been banned in Europe.
The choice of a demagging approach requires careful
assessment of the options as there are practical and health
and safety considerations as well as environmental ones
(UNEP, 2008).
Demagging can be divided into three processes.
. Chlorination: Chlorine gas is bubbled into the molten alu-
minium to react with magnesium, forming MgCl2 where it
can be skimmed.
. Solid fluxing: Injection of solid particles of AlF3 or AlCl3
to remove magnesium and producing compounds
removed by skimming.
d e
re c
-fi rna
(arbitrary units)

MgO and alumina developing a self-sustaining oxidation a s u

G ry f
Metal loss

ta
reaction. Figure 3 shows that oxidation occurs in two Ro

e
ac
rn
stages, the first stage comprising an exponential rise and y
fu
r

the second stage comprising a linear increase in weight

to
er red
ra
ev fi
be

A = Area
R as-

which continues until the aluminium has been exhausted

G

V = Volume
(Partington et al., 1998).
Demagging reduces the magnesium content of the mol-
ten charge. In the past, chlorine was injected under pres-
Low A/V ratio High A/V ratio
sure to react with magnesium through carbon lances High grade material Low grade material
directed under the heel surface, resulting in high chlorine
emissions. Currently, the demagging process has replaced Figure 2. Schematic representation of metal loss by
the carbon lance procedure by the circulation pump furnace type.

40
35
Mass gain (arbitrary units)

30
Mg exhausted
25
20
15
10
Amorphous MgO film Growths at hot-spots
5
MgO and spinel appear
0
4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36
Time (min)

Figure 3. Typical oxidation behaviour of Al–Mg liquid alloys

Figure 1. Static gas-fired rotary furnace in operation show- (Partington et al., 1998. Reproduced with permission from
ing heavy scrap oxidation. Springer).

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Velasco and Nino
. Electrolytic: The process consists of covering the molten
metal with electrolyte and applying a potential between
anode and an inert cathode dipped into the electrolyte,
magnesium can be transferred from the molten aluminium
to the cathode.
The reactions involve in the demagging process are:
2=3Al ðl Þ þ Cl2 ð gÞ ¼ 2=3AlCl3 ð gÞ
Mgðin Al Þ þ Cl2 ð gÞ ¼ MgCl2
2=3AlCl3 ð gÞ þ Mgðin Al Þ ¼ 2=3Al þ MgCl2
The reaction efficiency between chlorine compounds and
magnesium is the main concern because it is related to the
emission of free chlorine. The gas injection technology
through a circulation pump consists of a circulation device
that facilitates the scrap melting operations coupled with a
vertical or angled tube to deliver chlorine to remove magne-
sium. The gas injection technology must consider kinetic fac-
tors such as concentration of magnesium, mixing, contact
surface area, bubble diameter, residence time and tempera-
ture (Henry, 2003).
Figure 4 shows the gas dispersion achieved through a new
pump design with a vertical tube which delivers chlorine to a
recessed cavity in the base wall in a low pressure zone where a
centrifugal force from a spinning rotor shears the chlorine gas
bubbles. The fine gas bubbles are fully mixed and dispersed,
and the reaction of chlorine with molten aluminium and
inclusions under these conditions occur faster (Cooper, 2008).
Materials and methods
The Nemak facility located in Monterrey, Mexico, has a pro-
cessing line where aluminium recycling takes place in rotary
or reverberatory furnaces. The processing of the aluminium
4¥ Dia. Injection tube
Injection tube plug
Gas bubbles fill
complete flow
profile
Base
snout
Outlet of base
Figure 4. Gas dispersion achieved through a vertical tube gas injection design (Reprinted with permission from Molten Metal
Equipment and Innovations; Cooper, 2008).
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689
scrap in this facility follows the conventional sequence sug-
gested by the recycling model of the EAA. Figure 5 shows an
aluminium recycling model with demagging process in a
reverberatory furnace coupled with a fluxing system.
Trial A
Two heats of aluminium alloy AA319 were made from alu-
ð1Þ minium scrap. Charges of 20.4 and 19.6 tonnes of scrap con-
sisting of copper, turnings, UBC, wrought alloys, laminated
ð2Þ
products and silicon were charged respectively to a gas fired
ð3Þ rotary furnace. Salt flux, containing mixtures of NaCl and
KCl (12 and 13 wt.%), were used to protect the hot alumin-
ium surface from oxidation by hindering the oxygen flow
towards the metal. The opening on a side accommodates
the feeding of a complete bail of scrap into the furnace as
depicted in Figure 1. According to the proportion of mate-
rials charged into the furnace, the chemical composition esti-
mated by the SIMPLEX method and sampling of historical
scrap lots, the magnesium content estimated for these heats
was 0.65 and 0.64 wt.% (Li, 2005).
Table 2 shows the chemical composition at the end of the
melting cycle in the rotary furnace.
After approximately 6 h, the aluminium was melted,
poured into transfer ladles, sent to holder furnaces for
liquid treatment, and finally to the casting pouring stations.
Trial B
An 80-tonne side-well reverberatory melting furnace was
used in the second trial. The furnace which has a permanent
molten aluminium heel has a gas injection pump system with
a flow-mass controller, and a free chlorine gas sensor (cali-
brated at 5 ppm).
The heat consisted of a mix of wrought and cast (W&C)
aluminum alloys, UBC, and casting internal scrap. Prior to
Gas flow
Flow of aluminum
Gas is sheared by
direct flow of metal
690 Waste Management & Research 29(7)

initiating the melting process, a salt-flux based on the NaCl– Results and discussion
KCl system was added to the furnace in order to minimize
oxidation of the charge. The amount of aluminium scrap
Rotary
charged into the molten metal heel was 10 tonnes with a Under the melting conditions taking place in a rotary fur-
continuous chlorine injection into the molten metal stream nace, aluminium scrap containing magnesium undergoes
at a flow rate of 95 kg h1. The charge was calculated based heavy oxidation. During the initial stages of oxidation,
on the final chemical composition desired. Metal chemistry aluminium and its alloys develop an amorphous, superfi-
samples were collected periodically through the whole pro- cial, thin and resistant layer (-Al2O3), which follows
cess to evaluate the magnesium content. Simultaneously, the parabolic kinetics. This layer provides a barrier between
temperature in the liquid metal was monitored throughout the metal and the atmosphere, and the initial layer influ-
the process. ences oxide growth at high temperatures. The oxide films
developed on aluminium alloys at high temperatures
are characteristically duplex, composed of amorphous and
Trial C crystalline structures (Tenorio et al., 2000). Crystals of
The same 80-tonne reverberatory furnace with a chlorine MgO and MgAl2O4 constituted the oxide layer generated
injection pump system was used for the demagging of 5.34 by two main reactions.
tonnes of UBC scrap. This heat can be considered atypical
because in the recycling industry, the heats traditionally con-
sist of a mixture of different grades of aluminium scrap.
The UBC scrap was charged into the side-well for melt- Table 2. Chemical composition of the alloy. Estimated (by
ing, and no chlorine was injected during the charging pro- SIMPLEX method) and verified at the end of cycle (wt.%)
cess. To minimize oxidation of this light scrap, salt-flux Heat 1
(NaCl–KCl) was added to the side-well melting zone of the
furnace. The bath was covered with a homogeneous layer of Chemical Si Cu Fe Mn Mg Zn Cr Sn
analysis
salt during the whole process.
Estimated 6.53 2.69 0.50 0.43 0.65 0.43 0.01 0.01
At the end of the charging process, and after a waiting-
Final 5.44 2.59 0.47 0.32 0.13 0.66 0.02 0.01
time for chemical homogenization, the chlorine was turned
on and injected directly into the molten metal stream a Heat 2
Chemical Si Cu Fe Mn Mg Zn Cr Sn
75 kg h1 flow rate.
analysis
Samples to evaluate the magnesium content were col-
Estimated 6.50 2.53 0.50 0.43 0.64 0.40 0.01 0.01
lected, and the temperature in the liquid metal was moni-
Final 5.82 2.33 0.41 0.28 0.21 0.59 0.01 0.01
tored throughout the whole process.

Recycling process boundaries

Internal Salt-cake
foundry Scrap mix Gas-fired
scrap Salt By-products
rotary
Metal input: and waste
furnace
Scrap
preparation
process
Turnings (sorting, Rotary for
shredding, dross
magnetic Dross treatment
separation,
Old scrap delaquering,
(Foundry etc.)
and Demaging by CI2 injection
wrought
alloys)
Scrap mix

Metal input:
Gas-fired
reverberatory
Salt furnace

RSI (Recycled scrap ingot) By-products and residue

Figure 5. Material flow diagram of the recycling process.

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Velasco and Nino 691

Primary reaction:
2Mgðin Al Þ þ O2 ð gÞ ¼ 2MgO
4Al þ 3O2 ¼ 2Al2 O3
Secondary reaction:
MgO þ Al2 O3 ¼ MgAl2 O4
The rotary was operating at 12% excess air (about 3%
excess oxygen); the oxidizing atmosphere and the high-tem-
perature processing conditions produced an extreme oxida-
tion as Table 2 shows. The practical result at the end of the
heats was an alloy with low magnesium content and consid-
erable amount of dross (3.1 and 2.9 tonnes of salt cake) gen-
erated by a characteristic processing in a static gas-fired
rotary furnace.
The latest developments in combustion systems use an
oxygen–air–natural gas burner to eliminate or minimize
VOC (volatile organic compounds) formation. The new dry
flux (no salt process) melting in the tilting rotary furnace is
now ready for market with sophisticated controls enabling
precise monitoring of the metal properties inside the furnace.
An additional advantage is the compact collection hood and
bag house that collects the fumes during charging and melt-
ing, making it an environmentally friendly process (Schmitz,
2006).
Reverberatory
As Figure 6 shows, the chlorine injection was continuous
during the process, and was turned off when the magnesium
content in melt was below 0.34%. The alternate charge of
material (mixed W&C and UBC) represented 47 and 35%,
respectively, of the heat. The magnesium concentration peak
occurred when UBC was charged and the rate of Mg addi-
ð4Þ tion was greater than the rate of removal (t ¼ 50 min).
At the end of the charging process, the furnace started a
ð5Þ fast recovery of temperature with a slow magnesium removal
caused by remnant chlorine in the metal stream. No free
chlorine emissions were detected by sensors during the
demagging process, indicating a high efficiency reaction
ð6Þ between chlorine and magnesium. For a perfect (100% effi-
cient) reaction, 1.34 kg of chlorine is required to remove
0.45 kg of magnesium, almost three units of chlorine by
one of magnesium. The temperature suggested for a favour-
able reaction between pure chlorine and magnesium is above
710 C (Lagowski, 1969).
As seen in Figure 7, the demagging was carried out
above the temperature suggested for favourable magne-
sium removal. The addition of UBC scrap raised the magne-
sium content in the furnace rapidly due to its high
magnesium content (see Table 1).
When the chlorine was introduced, the magnesium began
to be removed and the curve followed an exponential
decreasing behaviour. In this stage, the efficiency was pro-
portional to the magnesium content in the aluminium melt
(Aparecido and Soares, 2001).
In this trial, the free chlorine sensor did not detect free
chlorine emissions. This situation can be associated with a
high-efficiency reaction due to high magnesium content in the
liquid metal, and formation of magnesium and aluminium
chlorides without visible effluents.
The relation between emissions and temperature is shown
in Figure 8. Laboratory experiments showed that the drop in
the reaction efficiency represents chlorine or chloride emis-
sions. These emissions only occur at temperatures below
710 C, but above this temperature the chloride emissions are
small and chlorine emissions are undetectable (Fu et al.,
1998).

820 0.40
Aluminum melt temperature Demagging process

800
0.38
Mixed
Internal
W&C
Mg content (wt. %)

780
Temperature (C)

scrap
UBC
Mixed 0.36
W&C
760
Material charge
ends 0.34
740 Material charge
begins
0.32
720
Chlorine is
turned off
700 0.30
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Time (min)

Figure 6. Melting and demagging of selected aluminium scrap in reverberatory furnace.

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692 Waste Management & Research 29(7)

Despite the use of chlorine as a fluxing agent, the rever-
beratory furnace is attractive in the recycling market due
to high volume processing rates and low operating and
maintenance costs. Additional benefits can be obtained if
the system is complemented with a forced circulation
system by molten metal pumps. These extra benefits can
include higher production rates, reduced melt loss, increased
fuel efficiency, demagging and improved metal quality
(Bright et al., 2007).
The possibility to suppress or reduce chlorine in the cast-
ing house has become an important issue in the aluminium
industry due to increasingly stringent environmental regula-
tions. The use of a pump rotor system permits the injection of
chlorine in an efficient way. An extra effort to minimize chlo-
rine usage can be the injection of a diluted mixture of chlo-
rine and nitrogen by progressive reduction of the chlorine
proportions. Experiments show that a diluted mixture of
nitrogen and chlorine requires a slight increase in tempera-
ture for an efficient reaction of chlorine with magnesium
(Lagowski, 1969). It must be considered that the reduction
in chlorine affects the stoichiometric ratio (3 : 1), and the
cycle time will be increased, affecting the production rate of
the reverberatory furnace.
Conclusions and recommendations
. The chlorine gas can react with magnesium to a greater or
lesser extent depending on temperature and magnesium
content in the melt.
. Demagging by injection pump in reverberatory furnaces is
technically effective and environmentally acceptable if the
process conditions are controlled during the chlorine
injection.
The improvement of metallic yield in a conventional
rotary furnace starts with the use of properly selected salt
with a low melting point, and avoiding the use of salt that
has been contaminated with dust or dirty materials. Limits
for the flux additions should be set, bearing in mind that
excessive amounts of salt do not improve recovery and rep-
resent extra thermal energy consumption. Keep a molten salt
bed before scrap charging and avoid long holding times.
The reverberatory furnace is the most popular aluminium
melting furnace. It is easy to operate and highly productive,
10
Emissions (arbitrary units)
Cl2
8
Chloride
6
4

. Rotary furnaces represent a solution for melting a wide 2

variety of contaminated aluminium scrap.
. In rotary furnaces, the production of aluminium alloys 0
690 700 710 720 730 740 750 760 770
with low magnesium content is possible without the use Temperature (C)
of chlorine. Oxidizing conditions inside the rotary cham-
ber facilitate the magnesium loss. Figure 8. Gas emissions of chlorine and chlorides conducted
. Reverberatory furnaces are highly productive with easy at different temperatures (Fu et al., 1998. Reproduced with
access for charging and cleaning. permission from Springer).

820 0.42
Aluminum melt temperature Demagging process

800 Chlorine 0.40

is turn on
Mg content (wt. %)

780 0.38
Temperature (C)

UBC
charging
760 0.36

740 0.34
Chlorine
is turn off
720 0.32

700 0.30
0 40 80 120 160 200 240
Time (min)

Figure 7. Charging of UBC and magnesium removal in reverberatory furnace.

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Velasco and Nino
due to the high proportion of liquid metal being held, the
scarp melting rate is too fast, and the use of molten metal
pumps provides extra benefits such as high melting rates,
homogeneity, and energy efficiency.
To improve throughput, start with charging material that
has a high magnesium content followed by chlorine injection,
verifying that the temperature in the molten metal is above
710 C. Toggle to heavy material after charging light scrap to
promote a rapid immersion and fast dissolution. Estimate the
kilograms of magnesium to be removed by the stoichiometry
(three units of Cl2 by one of Mg is roughly required) and
monitor the magnesium content through the entire cycle.
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