Gaseous Reduction of Manganese Ores: A Review and Theoretical Insight

ABSTRACT

Gaseous reduction of manganese ores has been studied as it is beneficial for both understanding the common ferromanganese production process and the development of new processes. Thermodynamics, kinetics, and the mechanisms of reduction by methane have been reviewed, supported by thermodynamic calculations from the commercial HSC Chemistry and FactSage software. While there were similarities in reduction process by CO and H₂, methane was a more efficient reductant and yielded reduction levels beyond MnO, which was due to the large thermodynamic driving force for carbide formation by metastable methane. The practical aspects of gaseous reduction by methane, such as application of a prereduction unit prior to smelting, gaseous emissions, and the theoretical energy consumption, have been discussed for different ore treatment scenarios.

KEYWORDS:

• Manganese ore
• reduction
• thermodynamics
• kinetics
• calcination
• methane

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.