South Africa’s Manganese Metal Co, with nearly fifty years of local manganese mastery in Mpumalanga, is positioning the country as a leading player in the global high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate market, driven by the surging demand for batteries.
As the industrialization of manganese-rich battery materials technology gains momentum, high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate for cathode active material is emerging as a cost-effective and recyclable critical energy transition material.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufacturers are increasingly opting for cathode active materials with higher manganese content due to their affordability and environmental benefits.
While non-Chinese manganese sulphate may command a premium, its impact on battery cell costs is expected to be limited, as the material represents a relatively minor input cost in battery chemistry.
In a presentation at the Fastmarkets European Battery Raw Materials event in Amsterdam, Madelein Todd, Market Development Executive at Manganese Metal Co, emphasized her company’s commitment to producing high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate directly from manganese ore in Mbombela (Nelspruit).
The company has a long history, dating back to 1974, of producing the world’s highest 99.9% pure manganese metal.
Todd highlighted four key points:
- Even if the cost of non-Chinese sustainable manganese product is three times higher, it results in a lower-cost cathode active material.
- Manganese Metal Co’s production process uses only renewable energy, resulting in substantially lower carbon intensity.
- Manganese ore is more widespread and higher grade than nickel ore, the key input material for more expensive cathode active material. Using manganese ore also generates less mining waste.
- Increased manganese sulphate monohydrate production will have an insignificant impact on total demand for manganese ore, eliminating the need for new manganese mines.
The incentive price for non-China high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate is estimated at around $2,500 per tonne, covering capital costs, low-carbon emissions, and compliance with European Union and North American environmental standards.
Manganese Metal Co’s existing site, which houses a 28,000 tonnes per year high-purity manganese metal plant, is earmarked for the construction of a 5,000 tonnes per year brownfield plant for manganese sulphate monohydrate production, potentially followed by a 30,000 tonnes per year greenfield project.
The company exports 55% of its high-purity electrolytic manganese metal to Japan, 25% to the US, and 10% to Europe.
As battery segment customers have been purchasing and dissolving high-purity manganese metal to create manganese sulphate monohydrate, Manganese Metal Co sees a significant opportunity to expand its presence in this space using manganese ore as the feedstock.
