Thermal characterization and kinetic analysis of nesquehonite, hydromagnesite, and brucite, using TG–DTG and DSC techniques

Nesquehonite, hydromagnesite, and brucite are important precursors for the preparation of high-purity magnesia (MgO) using magnesium resources from salt lake as raw materials. In this paper, TG–DTG and DSC were used to investigate the thermal decomposition behaviors of the three precursors. Decomposition kinetic parameters at each stage were evaluated based on the TG data using the iso-conversional method. Decomposition mechanisms were determined using the master-plots method. The decomposition temperature range, heat absorption, and kinetic parameters of the three phases were then compared. The most probable mechanism of each stage from the perspective of crystal structure was found to be consistent with the calculation results from the master-plots method. Results led to the conclusion that nesquehonite is the most appropriate precursor for the preparation of high-purity MgO. Further studies on precursor selection and calcining condition selection for the preparation of MgO using bischofite will benefit from this research.