On delivery day at the Manganese Metal Company’s industrial complex in Mbombela, South Africa, truckloads of manganese ore from the Kalahari Basin in the Northern Cape are ushered inside for processing. Manganese is commonly found in the Earth’s crust. The mineral is not only known for its nutritional benefits, but it’s critical in the production of steel and batteries. South Africa has the world’s largest manganese reserves; however, the International Manganese Institute estimates only 2% of the manganese ore produced within the country is locally processed. The Manganese Metal Company is looking to fill this gap. The refinery says it receives about 80,000 metric tons of manganese a year to produce high grade electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) – one of the critical alloy components to make steel. The company’s CEO, Louis Nel, says over the last decade it has seen a “significant” increase in demand for refined manganese in part…
