Manganese is one of the essential elements that is being used in the steel industry as an alloy to enhance the strength and workability of the key construction metal. But it is also mixed with aluminum to manufacture tin cans.
Apart from this crucial use, manganese dioxide and manganese oxide are being used as cathode materials in zinc-carbon and alkaline battery production. Also, when the crude oil is refined it can be used as an additive to help in coating and protecting the engine of cars.
One of the prime uses of manganese is in the lithium-ion battery sector. The silvery metal is used to make the lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide which is also popular in improving energy loading and lifespan. The batteries that use manganese composition are high in demand from the electric vehicle sectors.
There is a list of top-producing countries of manganese that produce and provide the mineral to the Manganese Ore Importers.
South Africa
The mine production of manganese in South Africa is 7.4 million MT. it is the largest producer of manganese in the world by the long shot. The manganese output of the country rose by nearly one million metric tons and it holds the largest reserves of manganese at 640 million MT.
In the manganese industry of South Africa, South32 is the major presence. It is a diversified miner and produces bauxite, thermal and metallurgical coal, and alumina with other minerals that are in demand. South Africa Manganese is one of the company’s four operations that is made up of Metalloys and Hotazel Manganese Mines. The Hotazel mine is located in the Kalahari Basin that holds eight percent of manganese ore resources.
Gabon
Gabon is located on the central western coast of Africa and is the second-largest producer of manganese. It is responsible for producing around 3.6 million MT of manganese, which is a slight increase ratio from the year 2020 which is 3.31 million MT of manganese.
The key operation in the country is Moanda. ERAMET is the second top producer of high-grade manganese ore in the world and operates the mine through its subsidiary named COMILOG.
Australia
Australia occupies third place as the top manganese producer in the world with a production of 3.3 million MT. Although South32 is a key producer in the South African manganese sector, but it also has an Australian manganese operation.
South32 is the largest producer of manganese ore and has a sixty percent stake in the northern territory manganese mine it operates through the subsidiary Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO). The open-cut manganese mine is one of the lowest-cost manganese ore producers in the world and Angelo American holds the other forty percent interest in the project.
In addition to the GEMCO, the miner operates the Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) and the TEMCON alloy plant that produces the ferromanganese used for the manufacturing of steel.
China
Next in line is China with a record 1.3 million MT output. The country is not only the producer of manganese ore but also a major consumer of manganese because it uses a good amount of metal to make steel.
Several large manganese deposits were discovered in the Guizhou provide in the year 2017 and have yet to be advanced in future years, they are not only counted by the US Geological Survey the places the manganese reserve of China at 54 million MT – the 6th largest on a global level.
Ukraine
Ukraine takes the fifth spot in the list of the top manganese production countries. The output of the country is 670,000 MT of manganese which is nearly 1000,000 MT and is increased in number as compared to the year 2020. Like some of the top countries, Ukraine is also a major importer of manganese products, especially manganese ore.
Ukraine is among the top five countries for the largest reserves of manganese ore in the world at 140 million MT. the Nikopol basin in the country holds about a third of all the explored reserves. It also has iron ore, coal, and titanium deposits. The war between Russia in Ukraine impacts the ability of the country to produce the metal.