Sustainable Hydrogen and Aluminothermic Reduction Process for Manganese, its alloys and Critical Raw Materials Production

Decarbonization of processes, scarcity of raw materials and Europe independence on key resources, valorisation of industrial waste are all key and strong challenges the EU metallurgy industry is facing and will have to deal with in the next decades to remain sustainable while keeping its economic competitiveness. This is particularly true for the manganese (Mn) & Mn ferroalloys industries. HAlMan represents a game changer in the metallurgical industry in view of developing sustainable processes with low carbon footprint, low energy consumption, no solid waste generation, valorisation of secondary raw materials from mining and metallurgical industry. HAlMan will demonstrate at TRL 7 an integrated process to produce Mn metal and Mn alloys from Mn ores and Mn-containing waste by using hydrogen and secondary aluminum (Al) sources as reductants. As metallurgical processes have large share in CO2 emission, decarbonization in metallurgical industry is essential to operate metal production in Europe. The benefits of the HAlMan innovative process will go beyond Mn and Mn Ferroalloys industries, and it presents a unique intersectoral approach in circular economy where:•Al-containing dross/scrap, and waste from ferromanganese industry are valorised to produce directly new Al-Mn master alloys for Al and Steel industries• metallurgical grade alumina (the feedstock for Al production, produced almost exclusively from Bauxite which is a CRM for EU) is produced via a zero-carbon footprint process •the extraction of critical raw materials, including REEs, from the alumina production process by-products will be demonstrated•the production of manganese oxide and cell fabrication for lithium-ion battery applications will be demonstrated.Additionally, HAlMan project studies heat and hydrogen recovery from process gas to improve process economy and yield. Significant activities on Life cycle assessment, Business development, dissemination and communication will be carried.