Page 757

  ' 757Manganese 
By Gilbert L. DeHuff1 
 There was no actual production of manganese ore, concentrate, or nodules,
containing 35% or more manganese, in the United States in 1972, but a small
quantity of manganese nodules continued to be shipped from stocks. Imports
of managanese ferroalloys and metal were at a 
high rate, and domestic producers continued to be faced with the problems
of pollution control and adequate availability of power. Plans were underway
for substantial new capacity for production of electrolytic manganese metal
in the Re. public of South Africa. 
Table 1.—Salient manganese statistics in the United States 
(Short tons) 
1968 
1969 
1970 
1971 
1972 
Manganese ore (35% or more Mn): 
Production (shipments): 
Metallurgical            Battery                    
Total                    
Imports general                Consumption                   
Manganiferous ore (5% to 35% Mn): 
Production (shipments)             
Ferrornanganese: 
Production                     
Exports                       
Imports for consumption         
Consumption                 
10,536 
842 
5,630 
- - 
4,737 
- - 
142 
- - 
578 
- - 
11,378 
1,827,626 
2,228,412 
244,590 
879,962 
3,710 
203,212 
1,016,559 
5,630 
1,959,661 
2,181,333 
430,637 
852,019 
1,759 
307,891 
1,071,042 
4,737 
1,735,055 
2,363,937 
368,302 
835,463 
21,747 
290,946 
1,000,611 
142 
1,914,264 
2,155,454 
198,334 
759,896 
4,526 
242,778 
899,011 
578 
1,620,252 
2,331,459 
147,161 
800,723 
6,842 
348,539 
967,968 
 Legislation and Government Program&— Under the provisions of the
Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act, as amended (Public Law
520, 79th Congress) the Office of Emergency Preparedness redetermined the
following manganese items to be strategic and critical: Natural battery manganese
ore, battery-grade synthetic manganese dioxide, type A chemical-grade manganese
ore, type B chemical-grade manganese ore, metallurgical manganese ore, high-carbon
ferromanganese, mediumcarbon ferromanganese, low-carbon ferromanganese, silicomanganese,
and electrolytic manganese metal. 
 Sales of surplus metallurgical ore in calendar year 1972 totaled 1,243,744
short dry tons. These sales were on a negotiated basis with deliveries limited.
Sales of surplus synthetic manganese dioxide in the 
calendar year were 1,278 short dry tons, all on a competitive sealed-bid
basis. No acceptable bids were received in response to a General Services
Administration (GSA) offering of surplus natural battery-grade ore, or to
its offerings of surplus chemicalgrade ore, types A or B. 
 Manganese stockpile inventory changes in the calendar year consisted of
the following:Metallurgical ore, stockpile grade, decreased 490,705 short
tons to 7,672,536 tons; metallurgical ore, non-stockpile grade, decreased
2,800 tons to 1,389,771 tons; synthetic dioxide decreased 2,619 tons to 17,019
tons; and stockpile-grade natural battery ore decreased 45 tons to 253,451
tons. 
 1 Supervisory physical scientist, Division of Ferrous Metals.