Effect of mechanical milling on carbothermic reduction of magnesia

A mixture of MgO and graphite with a molar ratio (1:1) was subjected to planetary ball milling for 1, 2, 4, and 8 h with the intention of enhancing carbothermic reduction reaction of MgO during subsequent thermal treatment. Unmilled and milled mixtures were characterized using a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface area analysis (SSA), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The reduction reaction of milled samples occurred at lower temperature than that of the unmilled sample. A longer milling time engenders a lower reaction temperature. These results are attributable to the increased interfacial area of the sample mixture, nanometer-size refinement of MgO crystallites and amorphization of graphite obtained using the milling process.