Tidal Metals partners with Alexander Chemical to market chlorine from its seawater-based magnesium process, advancing U.S. supply security, sustainability, and industry competitiveness.
Tidal Metals has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alexander Chemical Corporation to collaborate on the marketing, packaging, and distribution of chlorine generated as a co-product of Tidal Metals’ next-generation magnesium-from-seawater production technology. This agreement marks an important milestone for both companies as they work to reshape the supply chains for magnesium and chlorine—two materials essential to modern industry yet currently dominated by outdated or foreign-controlled production methods.
Today, more than 90% of the world’s primary magnesium metal originates from China, where producers rely on an almost 80-year-old metallurgical process that requires mined magnesium ores and consumes large amounts of energy while producing significant environmental harm. As a result, the United States and Europe remain almost entirely dependent on imports for this critical metal. Seeking to change this paradigm, Tidal Metals, supported by the deep-tech investment expertise of DCVC, has engineered a breakthrough system capable of extracting high-purity magnesium directly from seawater or from the waste brine produced by desalination facilities—using only electricity.
According to Dr. Howard Yuh, CEO of Tidal Metals, the company has spent eight years solving the complex technical challenge of economically isolating magnesium from ocean water. He highlights that the oceans contain effectively limitless magnesium reserves, and that the company’s approach eliminates the need for terrestrial mining, chemical additives, or environmentally damaging waste streams. Magnesium’s exceptional strength-to-weight ratio—being 75% lighter than steel and 33% lighter than aluminum—positions it as a key material for industries such as automotive manufacturing, aerospace, robotics, and construction. Tidal Metals believes its low-cost and environmentally benign method can rapidly scale to meet the accelerating domestic and international demand for this strategically essential metal, one Dr. Yuh refers to as a “defining material of the 21st century.”
The company’s innovative process yields an additional valuable output: for every ton of magnesium produced, nearly three tons of high-purity chlorine are generated. This chlorine is highly relevant for industry, particularly given that roughly one-third of the chlorine used in the United States—part of an $8.5 billion market—is still manufactured through processes dependent on asbestos. With the U.S. EPA reaffirming its complete asbestos ban in July 2025, domestic chlorine producers will face rising pressure to replace legacy systems. Tidal Metals’ chlorine offers a domestically sourced, cost-competitive, and environmentally friendly alternative.
Alexander Chemical Corporation, a recognized leader in chlorine marketing and distribution, will partner with Tidal Metals to bring this chlorine to market. Robert Davidson, President and CEO of Alexander Chemical, emphasized the company’s enthusiasm for supporting a cleaner, forward-looking chlorine supply while applying its broad expertise to ensure effective commercialization.
Dr. Yuh added that this MOU underscores the broader mission of securing and reshoring critical industrial supply chains in the United States—not only for magnesium but also for essential chemicals like chlorine that support water treatment, manufacturing, and numerous downstream industries. He noted that this collaboration reflects the combined strength of deep-tech innovation and established industry capabilities.
Earl Jones, board chair of Tidal Metals and Operating Partner at DCVC, reiterated that long-term competitiveness in commodities such as magnesium and chlorine requires sustainable, defensible cost leadership rather than subsidies or tariff protections. He stressed that the company’s technology offers the lowest-cost magnesium production route, enabling the U.S. to compete globally not through cheaper labor or weaker regulations, but through superior innovation.
