Production of MgO From Residues of Saline Pools in “Las Coloradas” Yucatan, Mex. Using Thermochemical Energy Storage

This paper proposes a method of thermochemical-energy storage from magnesium sulfate recovered from salt ponds of sea water. The idea develops from a project originally thought to obtain magnesium oxide from a salt plant in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The new idea is based on the exploitation of the heat of decomposition of magnesium sulphate. In the traditional literature, closed-loop, reversible reaction is considered, whereas in this work, an open-loop is proposed; that is, sulphur dioxide is separated from the magnesium oxide before cooling down to 700°C; in this way, magnesium oxide is obtained by thermal decomposition, and at the same time, the high heat of decomposition is used to store thermal energy for electricity generation; magnesium oxide, sulfuric acid and hydrogen are co-products of the process if another iodine reaction cycle is considered. This second process is again a modification of an open-loop traditional process, to a closed-loop process where no sulphuric acid is required.Copyright © 2011 by ASME