Manganese Ore

Content maintained by Ron Sait

• Manganese Ore
• Resources
• Accessible EDR
• JORC Reserves
• Exploration Expenditure
• Production
• World Ranking
• Industry Developments

Manganese is the twelfth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. Among about 300 minerals containing manganese only around a dozen are of economic significance. The two main manganese minerals are pyrolusite (MnO2) and rhodochrosite (MnCO3). Manganese is the fourth most used metal in terms of tonnage after iron, aluminium and copper and 90% of all manganese consumed annually goes into steel as an alloying agent. No satisfactory substitute has been identified for manganese which combines a relatively low price with outstanding technical benefits such as the ability to combine with sulphur and a powerful de-oxidation capacity. After steel, the second most important market for manganese in the form of electrolytic manganese dioxide is dry cell batteries. Manganese also is an important alloying element in aluminium and copper, is used in plant fertilisers and animal feeds and is a colorant.

In Australia there are three operating mines and one tailings re-treatment plant. The Woodie Woodie mine is located about 400 km south east of Port Hedland in Western Australia. A manganese tailings processing plant also operates near the Woodie Woodie mine. The Northern Territory has two manganese mines, one on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the other at Bootu Creek 110 km north of Tennant Creek. Manganese ore processing plants are operated by TEMCO at Bell Bay in Tasmania and by Delta plc at Newcastle in New South Wales.

In 2007 Australia's EDR of manganese ore increased by 18.2% to 164 Mt with increases in EDR at Groote Eylandt and Bootu Creek being offset by a decrease in EDR at Woodie Woodie. PDR remained unchanged at 23 Mt and SDR remained unchanged at 167 Mt. Inferred resources decreased 14.3% to 137 Mt mainly due a decrease at Groote Eylandt.

All 164 Mt of EDR manganese ore is accessible and the on current rate of production of beneficiated manganese ore has a resource life of about 16 years.

Manganese ore JORC reserves are 148 Mt, which represents 90% of accessible EDR. The resource life based on the JORC reserves and the current rate of production of beneficiated manganese ore is about 14 years.

Data relating to exploration expenditure for manganese are not published by the ABS on either a State or National basis. Consolidated Minerals Ltd plans to spend $12.2 million on exploration in 2007-08. OM Holdings Ltd plans to spend $3.6 million on exploration, including a reverse circulation drilling program within a 10 km radius of the Bootu Creek mine. Companies actively exploring for manganese include, Trafford Resources Ltd, Spitfire Resources Ltd, Sandfire Resources NL, Ausquest Ltd, FerrAus Ltd, Churchill Mining plc, Brumby Resources Ltd, Montezuma Mining Company and De Grey Mining Ltd.

ABARE reported that Australia produced 5.3 Mt of beneficiated manganese ore in 2007 compared to 4.6 Mt 2006. Exports for 2007 totalled 4.8 Mt compared to 4.2 Mt 2006 and was valued at $712 million, an increase of $249 million on the $463 million in 2006.

Australia has 12% of the worlds EDR of manganese ore and is ranked fourth behind Ukraine (31%), South Africa (17%) and China (15%). Australia produces 15% of the world's Mmanganese ore and is ranked third behind China (23%) and South Africa (21%).

GEMCO: At the Groote Eylandt mine a US$150 million construction program is underway to overcome a bottleneck in the processing plant and increase capacity from 3.1 Mtpa to 4.1 Mtpa. The project also will reduce operating costs from 2008. GEMCO employ about 250 people of whom about 15% are indigenous and the company plans to increase the indigenous workforce to about 24% by 2012. Progressive rehabilitation of disturbed areas is undertaken by a group of the local Anindilyakwa indigenous population. GEMCO plans by 2012 to reduce energy use by 13% per tonne of product produced at 2006 levels.

OM Holdings Ltd: At the Bootu Creek mine product is trucked 60 km to the Muckety rail siding then railed 800 km to the Port of Darwin where it is stockpiled and loaded into vessels destined for Asia. A fleet of five scrapers was introduced in 2007 to increase total production. A $5.3 million materials rectification program was completed in the second half of 2007. Opportunities to increase production from 550 to 700 ktpa in 2008 are being examined. A revised life of mine plan is planned for completion in early 2008.

Consolidated Minerals Ltd: The Woodie Woodie mine has a capacity of 1.1 Mtpa and more than $20 million is budgeted to be spent on new capital to enhance and improve the operation by up to 5%. A resource of 1.4 Mt at 44% manganese defined at the Rhodes pit is the second largest discovery in the history of the Woodie Woodie manganese field. Lump and fine products are trucked about 400 km to Port Hedland where blending occurs prior to export to overseas markets.

Mineral Resources Ltd: The re-treatment plant at Woodie Woodie has been expanded to a capacity 400 ktpa of high grade fines. Concentrates are trucked to Port Hedland then blended and held in a storage facility in Port Hedland ready for export. The project has a life exceeding 10 years at current production rates.