Manganese Nodules Residue: Potential Raw Material for FeSiMn Production

The manganese nodule residue, generated in reduction roast ammonia leaching process has emerged as potential secondary raw material for production of ferrosilicomanagese. In the present paper, the smelting studies of low manganese containing leached manganese nodules residue blended with high grade Mn ore has been carried out in electric arc furnace for ferrosilicomanganese production. The optimum charge mix has been derived to produce the standard grade alloy as per Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications. The residue to ore blending ratio of 1:0.6 with 18% quartz addition at basicity 0.2 has been found to yield the standard grade ferrosilicomanganese alloy with about 77% manganese recovery.