Abstract
By the direct electrolysis of magnesium salt solution or bittern, several studies that magnesium had been separated as basic magnesium hypochlorite are found.
The mechanism in this method depends on the reaction between anodic oxidation products of chlorine and magnesium hydroxide as cathode deposit.
On the other hand, magnesium is separated as hydroxide according to the electrolytic conditions. In this report, from the view point of removing completely magnesium from the sea water, to select whether to employ the mechanism of reaction which is suitable to preparation of basic hypo-chlorite, or hydroxide, and to illustrate the mechanism in these reactions, the effects of factors to the removal ratio of magnesium and calcium, oxidation current efficiency, and decomposition ratio of chloride were studied by means of statistical methods.
Factors that had been employed were composition and temperature of electrolytes in the concentration of magnesium, calcium and chlorine equaled with each ion concentration in the sea water, current density, running hour, diaphragm, and agitation.
A process which used a diaphragm, and precipitated magnesium ion as hydroxide was better to complete removal of magnesium. Under the same conditions, calcium was removed, but it would be necessary to increase moreover the quantity of electricity to remove a quite quantities of calcium as hydroxide.
It might be estimated that using electrolytes in chlorine ion concentration such as in sea water was not suitable for the preparation of basic magnesium hypochlorite owing to the low concentration of oxidation products of chlorine which diffused to the cathode.
