Differences Between Light Burned Magnesia And Dead Burned Magnesia - Your Refractory Bricks, Castables Manufacturer For Kiln

Lightly calcined magnesia (light-burned magnesia) and dead burned magnesia are both produced from magnesite, but they differ significantly in calcination temperature, physical properties, chemical reactivity, and applications.

1. Definition & Calcination Temperature

Item	Lightly Calcined Magnesia (Light-burned MgO)	Dead Burned Magnesia (DBM)
Calcination Temperature	700–1000℃	1500–2000℃
Main Purpose	Remove crystal water and CO₂, decompose magnesite to produce high-activity MgO	High-temperature sintering to reduce reactivity, increase density, and improve refractoriness
Appearance	White or light yellow powder	Gray-white or gray-yellow blocks or granules

2. Physical & Chemical Properties

Property	Lightly Calcined Magnesia	Dead Burned Magnesia
Activity	High (>40% citric acid activity)	Low (<5% citric acid activity)
Hardness	Softer, easy to grind	Very hard, high density
Densidade a granel	1.0–2.0 g/cm³	3.3–3.45 g/cm³
Chemical Stability	Lower, easily reacts with water and acids	Very high, excellent resistance to acids, alkalis, and high-temperature corrosion

3. Main Applications

Lightly Calcined Magnesia:

Production of magnesia-based cementitious materials (magnesium oxychloride cement, magnesium oxysulfate cement)
Desulfurization agent (steelmaking, flue gas desulfurization)
Rubber, plastics, chemical additives, and feed additives
Environmental absorbent materials (heavy metal removal, wastewater treatment)

Dead Burned Magnesia:

Production of magnesia-based refractory materials (magnesia bricks, magnesia-carbon bricks, magnesia-chrome bricks)
High-temperature furnace linings (ladles, converters, electric arc furnaces)
Manufacture of high-purity fused magnesia, magnesia-based refractory castables
High-temperature metallurgical protective coatings

4. Key Difference Summary

One-sentence memory tip:

Light-burned magnesia has low calcination temperature, high reactivity, and is used in chemicals and building materials; dead burned magnesia has high calcination temperature, low reactivity, and is used in refractories.

KERUI Refractory supplies different types of sintered magnesium e fused magnesium. If you have any needs, please contact us to get the best quotation.