Make American Magnesium Again – WSJ
China has taken over the industry, but we know how to extract the vital metal from seawater.
In 1941 America learned how to turn the ocean into a strategic resource. On the precipice of World War II, the Dow Chemical Co. perfected a way to extract magnesium from ordinary seawater, giving America access to a virtually inexhaustible supply of a metal vital to modern warfare.
Magnesium became one of the first metals placed under mandatory wartime priority. National output soared, and its production expanded dramatically—as American chemistry and scientific innovation became vital to the Allied war effort and the defeat of tyranny in World War II.
Then America walked away. China took over the industry. By 2030, that decision could come back to haunt the U.S.