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Working towards an increase in manganese ferroalloy production in South Africa - a research agenda
(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2018) Steenkamp, J. D.; Bam, W. G.; Ringdalen, E.; Mushwana, M.; Hockaday, S. A. C.; Sithole, N. A.
Although South Africa is endowed with one of the largest land-based deposits of manganese ore, in the order of 80% of the ore mined is exported for beneficiation elsewhere. The past 15 years has seen a decline in the production of manganese ferroalloys locally due to a steep rise in the price of electricity, among other factors. As local beneficiation of South Africa's resources is a national priority, a research agenda to increase manganese ferroalloy production in South Africa was developed. Inputs were obtained from various role-players in the value chain, including local smelter operations, research institutions both local and abroad, and companies providing support to the industry. Ninety-five research opportunities were identified and grouped into twenty-one research themes. The results are reported here in the context of a review of relevant Infacon papers and Mintek reports. As implementation of such a research agenda could be done through the development of a technology roadmap, the paper concludes with an example from Norway where a roadmap was developed to increase the use of natural gas in metal production.