Manganese

What it is

Manganese is a hard, brittle metal used overwhelmingly in steelmaking (~90% of demand) and increasingly in lithium-ion battery cathodes (NMC, LMFP).

Why it matters

South Africa, Gabon, and Australia dominate mining; China leads battery-grade refining.

Circular challenges

Whether manganese re-enters the economy at end-of-life is mostly settled at the design stage. These are the recurring blockers.

• Steel scrap dilution

  Manganese stays inside recycled steel, but specific grades cannot be recovered — it is effectively diluted across the global steel pool.

• Battery-grade purity

  EV battery manganese needs much higher purity than steelmaking manganese — separate supply chains are still being built.

• Refining concentration

  Even Africa-mined ore is mostly shipped to Chinese refineries for processing.