- Appearance and Nature: Manganese is a silvery-grey, hard, and brittle element, usually found in combination with other minerals like iron.
- Main Use: Primarily used in the iron and steel industry to manufacture steel alloys. It is essential for producing steel, with 6 kg of manganese required per tonne of steel.
- Important Manganese Ores:
- Pyrolusite (MnO2): Most important, contains 63.2% manganese.
- Other ores: Psilomelane, Manganite, Braunite.
- Manganese Ore Reserves in India: India holds the second-largest reserves globally, with 430 million tonnes. Major producing states are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
- Manganese Ore Distribution in India:
| State | Percentage |
| Madhya Pradesh | 33% (mainly from Balaghat and Chhindwara). |
| Maharashtra | 25.25% (Nagpur, Bhandara districts). |
| Odisha | 24% (Sundergarh, Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Koraput). |
| Karnataka | 10.92% (Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Bellary). |
| Andhra Pradesh | 9.71% (Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam). |
- Reserves: Odisha holds 44% of India’s reserves, followed by Karnataka (22%) and Madhya Pradesh (12%).
- Export: India exports about one-fifth of its manganese production, with Japan being the largest importer, along with the USA, UK, Germany, France, and Norway.
- Uses of Manganese:
- Manufacturing steel alloys, deoxidizing steel, and desulfurizing.
- Production of dry-cell batteries, paints, and pigments.
- Catalyst for decolourizing glass and making fungicides.
- Global Manganese Supply: In 2011, four countries (South Africa, Australia, China, Gabon) produced 70% of the world’s manganese ore. The US imports all its manganese ore.
- Domestic Consumption: Manganese is primarily consumed domestically for steel production, with exports decreasing as domestic demand increases.