Japan Achieved Breakthrough in Magnesium Battery Technology, Romania Launched Low-Carbon Magnesium Project [SMM Survey]

Japan's Tohoku University Develops New-Type Magnesium-Tin Alloy Anode, Boosting Solid-State Magnesium Battery Cycle Life by Over 400 Times

A team from the Advanced Materials Research Institute at Japan's Tohoku University recently published research findings in *Advanced Functional Materials*. By adding tin to the magnesium anode to form a stable Mg₂Sn phase, the team successfully transformed previously considered harmful interfacial side reactions in solid-state magnesium batteries into functional advantages. Using high-throughput screening and electrochemical testing, the study identified that the optimized magnesium-tin alloy achieved more efficient magnesium-ion transport and more uniform magnesium deposition layers at the electrode-electrolyte interface. Solid-state battery testing showed that the alloy anode maintained stability for over 1,300 hours, with cycle life improved by more than 400 times compared to pure magnesium anodes. This research overturned the conventional understanding that "interfacial reactions must be suppressed" in solid-state electrolytes, demonstrating that controllable interfacial reactions can serve as a key mechanism for enhancing magnesium battery performance, offering an entirely new material design approach for developing low-cost, high-safety next-generation ESS.

Romania's Verde Magnesium: Building a Near-Zero-Carbon Magnesium Supply Chain in Europe, Filling a 25-Year Gap

Romania's Verde Magnesium project is a strategic flagship project recognized under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, aiming to become Europe's first primary magnesium producer in 25 years. The project employs an innovative aluminothermic reduction process, using brucite ore and aluminum scrap as raw materials, combined with electric furnace, dry processing, and full-process CO₂ capture and dry ice utilization, with no cyanide, no acid-leaching tailings, and no chlorine emissions. The by-product calcium aluminate can be sold to the steel and cement industries. The project is designed to rely entirely on renewable energy, and a life cycle assessment by the German Aerospace Center confirmed it as the magnesium production process with the lowest carbon footprint globally. The mine plans to resume production by the end of 2026, with initial construction of a 360 mt/year mother plant, followed by a 30,000 mt/year smelter to be completed before 2030, capable of meeting approximately 20% of the EU's magnesium demand. Verde Magnesium called on the EU to establish tradable carbon certificates for domestic low-carbon production within the carbon trading system to bridge the cost gap with high-carbon imported products. The project is simultaneously advancing community employment, tax revenue, and skills training, emphasizing that long-term sustainability must be built on the foundation of communities becoming partners.