GB821922A - Improvements in or relating to a process for recovering manganese values from metalliferous material containing manganese and iron - Google Patents

Abstract

Metalliferous materials such as oxide ores, steel slags and alloys containing manganese, iron and contaminants are contacted with an anhydrous chloridising gas at an elevated temperature to form and remove the manganese and iron chlorides as a gaseous stream, at least the manganese chloride being condensed and collected from said stream as an anhydrous powder and electrolysed in a fused salt bath to deposit the metal. Chloridising gases referred to are chlorine and/or hydrogen chloride. If desired, some or all of the iron may first be removed as ferric chloride by treatment, e.g. with chlorine at 400-650 DEG C.; thereafter the remaining iron and the manganese may be chloridised at above 700 DEG C., e.g. with hydrogen chloride. After condensation at e.g. 350-650 DEG C. (or fractional condensation, if mixed chlorides are formed and if separation is desired), the electrolysis may be performed in the presence of hydrogen (see Group XXXVI), and the hydrogen chloride thereby produced returned to the chloridising process for use after the addition of chlorine (to react with excess hydrogen) and further quantities of hydrogen chloride. Similarly, excess hydrogen chloride used in the chloridisation, after removal of phosphorus chlorides and water may be reused. By the provision of standby condensers and cells, the process may be made continuous. Suitable initial materials are low grade ores and slags, e.g. from the open hearth steel process and containing in addition to iron and manganese, silicon dioxide, calcium, aluminum and magnesium oxides and phosphorus and carbon, high grade ores and high carbon ferromanganese. If metals other than iron and manganese are present as oxides the absence of a reducing agent such as carbon may be essential, depending upon the particular metals. Specification 713,432, [Group XXXVI], is referred to.