Metal without Mining™
Magrathea is radically reducing the socioenvironmental impacts of making structural metal
We have a problem
Structural metal is the foundation of human civilization but production of steel and aluminum emits 10% of global carbon emissions. Their supply chain mining impacts are intractable even if they can be made with low emissions. It’s impossible to decarbonize their production without driving up cost.
Enter Magnesium Metal
The only structural metal abundant in brine so can be made without open pit mining
The lightest structural metal by a long shot: steel is 3-5x and aluminum 1.5x heavier
Vehicle makers have wanted to use more for decades but Western supply isn’t yet scaled
The only truly circular structural metal that sequesters carbon in the sea at end of life
More than 35 million Volkswagen vehicles with magnesium crankcases and magnesium transmission housings demonstrate the suitability of magnesium for automotive use.
- Volkswagen (1980)
In China, to exaggerate, everything that moves is made of magnesium. Today, a Chinese window cleaner moves more magnesium with his bicycle and ladder than the driver of the most modern European automobiles.
- European Research Association for Magnesium (2022)
Enter Magrathea
Magrathea is making metal without mining for the era of electrification and decarbonization. We’re developing generational upgrades to magnesium production technology that radically reduces cost and environmental impact. We already made the 21st century’s first ingots of metal from seawater.
