Research project to strengthen metal industry

In order to improve the sustainability of the metal industry in Europe while at the same time maintaining its competitiveness, it is important to produce Manganese (Mn) for the steel, aluminium, battery and automotive industries in an environmentally friendly way.

The research project “Sustainable Hydrogen and Aluminothermic Reduction Process for Manganese, its Alloys and Critical Raw Materials Production” (acronym. HalMan) is supported by the EU with seven million euros, in order to develop a sustainable process for the production of Mn and Mn alloys from Mn ores and waste material containing Mn. All in all, 17 partners are involved in the research, among them the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research (MPIE) in Düsseldorf.

A total of 1.4 million tons of manganese ferrous alloys was produced in Europe in 2020. These alloys contain around 70% imported ores. The production is responsible for 2.5% or all carbon emissions of the European metal industry. Added to that is the import of about 111,000 tons of electrogalvanised manganese and 39,000 tons of electrogalvanised manganese dioxide.

The result of the research project is supposed to reduce imports by using existing industrial waste and to reduce the carbon footprint of Mn production. The research is coordinated by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

The role of the MPIE in this research project is to study the chemical reduction of manganese ores and waste material containing manganese using hydrogen and secondary sources of aluminium, in order to avoid carbon emissions. Scientists will analyse the kinetics of the pre-reduction process using hydrogen, seek to better understand the role of the microstructure and the local chemical reactions during the reduction process and expose the base mechanisms which until now have limited the efficiency of chemical reduction. Further plans include producing two high- and medium-content manganese steels using the manganese produced by the reduction process and comparing their mechanical properties with commercially available steels.