About Manganese

Outcropping manganese ore at the Butcherbird Project in Western AustraliaManganese is the twelfth most abundant element in the earth's crust, with the bulk of commercial production coming from South Africa, China, Australia, Brazil, India and Gabon.  Europe, North America, Japan, Korea and many other countries import 100% of their manganese requirements.  Manganese is a critical raw material to many industries, and large portions of the world economy depend on its continued supply. 

Manganese, designated by the symbol Mn in the periodic table, sis a versatile transition metal with atomic number 25. It is no coincidence that we named the organisation as a tribute to this metal. What truly sets manganese apart is its remarkable ability to adopt various oxidation states.

This diverse chemical behaviour gives manganese a central role in redox reactions, positioning it as an essential component in numerous biochemical processes. Furthermore, manganese functions as an essential co-factor for a range of enzymes, facilitating oxygen transport and bolstering antioxidant defenses within biological systems. In short, neither plants nor animals can survive without some manganese as a trace nutrient.

Manganese is a critical ingredient in steel production, which consumes around 90% of global manganese supply. Around 10% of supply goes into the production of high purity manganese products including Electrolytic Manganese Metal (EMM), Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) and High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate, which is used in Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries.

Manganese is used in both rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and non-rechargeable alkaline cells.  Consequently, as battery storage becomes an increasingly important part of the global energy solution, manganese demand is rapidly increasing. Manganese based batteries enable safe storage with high energy capacities and can be recharged from renewable energy sources.

Manganese Key Facts
Symbol: Mn
Atomic Number: 25
Atomic Weight: 54.9

Demand for high purity manganese metal and high purity manganese sulphate is expected to increase strongly in coming years and decades, driven by growth in traditional end use markets but also a rapid expansion in EV production and grid storage devices capacity in Asia, Europe and North America. Almost all current and future battery cathode chemistries contain significant amounts of manganese and this is expected to increase due to the benefits manganese offers in terms of safety performance and ethical critical mineral supply for the rapidly growing market for electric vehicles and grid-storage.

Manufacturing high performance Li-ion batteries that utilise manganese in the cathode requires reliable, high-purity HPMSM supply to ensure that the batteries meet increasingly demanding performance, safety and durability standards.

Element 25 is constructing the first ever north American HPMSM facility in partnership with General Motors and Stellantis, two leading global manufacturers of future facing electric vehicles.



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