Magnesium can be removed either thermally or by reactive measures through the dissolution in acid.
 Esen & Bor  found a critical content of magnesium as a space holder to be 55-60%, above which compacts shrink excessively during sintering. Foams ranging in porosity from 45 to 70% with a bimodal pore distribution and compressive strength of 15 MPa (for 70% porosity) were demonstrated. Kim et al. fabricated foams with anisotropic pores through the intentional deformation of Mg particles during compaction in an effort to enhance mechanical properties. A final porosity of 70% equated to a yield strength of 38 MPa for normal orientation of pores and 59 MPa when pores were aligned with the direction of compression.