Abstract: Magnesium compounds,metallic magnesium and its alloy have great industrial application value.There is abundant magnesium chloride in the ocean and salt lake brine in China.Especially,there is a large amount of bischofite (MgCl₂•6H₂O) produced when the mother brine is continuously evaporated after potassium is separated from the salt lake brine.Although anhydrous  magnesium chloride is the best raw material for magnesium electrolysis,there are lots of technical barriers in the dehydration of bischofite.Thus extensive use of bischofite resources is restricted.Present development status of bischofite dehydration technique,including the methods of gas environmental protection,double salt,and ammonia complexometry etc.,was reviewed,and the considerable utilization prospect of magnesium resources in salt lake brine in China was also pointed out.

Key words: seawater, salt lake brine, bischofite, dehydration technique