Manganese plays a crucial role in the cathodes of various types of lithium-ion batteries. Currently, 20% to 30% our High Purity Electrolytic Manganese Metal (HP EMM) output is dissolved in sulfuric acid by customers to produce liquid manganese sulphate, a key input material for NCM-type precursor cathode active material (PCAM).
To address the growing demand for manganese in the battery industry, MMC developed two proprietary methods for producing High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HP MSM):
- Ore to Crystal (OTX): This long-term, sustainable approach will utilize manganese ore as the starting material and through a combination of chemical and physical processes remove impurities from the manganese ore to sustainably produce HP MSM crystals, offering a low-carbon footprint product to meet future market needs.
- Metal to Crystal (MTX): This process leverages our existing HP EMM production and involves the dissolution of a portion of our HP EMM output in sulfuric acid, followed by crystallisation. This means MMC can rapidly grow supply capacity for HP MSM, in response to the immediate demand for reduced single country sourcing risk, on account of China’s dominance in the refining of battery critical minerals. The MTX process is giving MMC a significant speed to market advantage in the evolving battery materials landscape, plus optionality to ramp up supply in step with demand from PCAM producers.
We are currently in the early stages of constructing a 6,000-tonne per annum commercial HP MSM plant in Mbombela, South Africa, using the MTX process, scheduled to begin production in H1 2026. This brownfield expansion at our existing HP EMM site will significantly enhance our production capacity and market presence.
Three routes for adding manganese into CAM for batteries
MMC wants to offer both metal and high-purity sulphate to the market for batteries
Creating Sustainability
We are committed to operating in a sustainable manner and to working with our suppliers to ensure that they also commit to operating sustainably.
We aim to supply our customers with a safer, cleaner, more sustainable Manganese Sulphate product while also providing them the opportunity to avoid dealing with countries that have high levels of geopolitical tension, unrest and lack of transparency.
Our future plans
The demand for battery grade manganese is projected to surge in the coming years, driven by the accelerating adoption of electric vehicles.
While our Metal to Crystal (MTX) project, with a 6,000-tonne per annum capacity, is designed to address the immediate demand for high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HP MSM), our long-term strategy focuses on the more sustainable Ore to Crystal (OTX) process.
To meet the growing long-term demand, we plan to construct a phased approach to OTX production, starting with a 5,000 tpa plant targeted for 2028, followed by a ~30,000 tpa plant, targeted beyond 2030. The timing and capacity of HP MSM production via our OTX process will be influenced by the rate of commercialisation of high-manganese battery chemistries, such as NCM307, NMx, HLM, LMFP.
We believe that our commitment to both MTX and OTX production demonstrates our dedication to not only meeting the current market demand but also contributing to more affordable batteries, for a cleaner and more sustainable future. Both process routes will have a low-carbon footprint per ton of HP MSM.