Manganese Recycling

Hello marcot,

the pellets or rocks you use. Is the Manganese able to be recovered by soaking and skimming the precipitate? You could perhaps sell or give it to a steel maker? Or a battery maker?

Take care and have a wonderful holiday..............

Babybear,

Thank you for your help.

I haven't tried to soak it. I crushed a small sample and was able to use a strong magnet to separate some manganese powder.

The problem is that we are an electrical equipment supplier. We are not chemists or metallurgists. I am looking for somebody that is in this business and could use the material. We are located in Quebec, Canada. There aren't any battery mfg that I know of and the purity is probably not high enough for them.

I would be very happy to find a smelter or a mine that could use this in their process but I haven't found anybody yet. I am hoping that a simple process could be used to enrich the manganese to make it more apealing to users and reduce the transport cost by a factor of five.

Hello marcot:

Right, you are in Quebec. Have you searched for a foundry that may take your 'used' manganese as it is and throw it all into the kiln? 1 Ton a year is nothing compared to what the steel makers use in a year?

Let me know what searches you have done.

Up to now, I have found only one but they do not add manganese to their product. Foundries don't advertise much. I will have to look in the yellow pages for every small cities... (they don't operate in large cities...)

The problem is also that unless they are certain that the ceramic will not cause a problem and that they can extract most of the manganese (or a known fraction), they will not risk a batch of steel just to save a few thousands dollars on additive.

I am looking for somebody who can say that they do this all the time and it is OK. Or we do this and it remove the impirity...

The problem is that we are not talking about millions of dollars here. It is not very interesting for somebody to develop a process or take a chance on their establish production. I need to find something already established.

Regards,

Marco

Hello marcot,

appreciate your reply post.

I understand what you mean. When it is such a small amount.

I understand it is mixed with clay and fired? Is that right?

The reason I thought of a steel foundry is my granddad worked in one so I have been told how it works and stuff, you know? I have forgotten most of it but the Manganese rung a bell.

Will do some searching tonight again for you. I actually did not realise it was dangerous. Never really thought about it I suppose.

Can you explain or send a pic of the little pellets please? And, how do you store them? Presumably you can't store them outside because the local water courses will be contaminated?

Any if you can just answer those two questions it will be helpful.

Take care and have a wonderful holiday!.........................

Almost everything is dangerous in a foundry... People become de-sensitized. Manganese is not that dangerous, it is more like lead as far as I understand. Avoid eating or breathing it and you will be OK. Environment people don't like it when it accumulates in the environment. I agree with them. This is why I am trying to find a good way to use it. Making it a desirable product instead of a waste will insure that very little will be discarded carelessly.

We normally get it in 5Gal. pails weighing 45 Lbs.

I also included some of the MSDS. I could email you the whole thing if needed. Just contact me directly on this site.

As you can see, the dust is the dangerous part. As far as I know, there is very little copper and aluminum in the mix.

Thank you for your help.

Marco

Hello marcot,

thanks for the pics. I am finding more out about it now.

Just a thought, but, will the company who supply you not take the old stuff back?

And can it be regenerated?

That would be great but they are not interested and the shipping to their purified material supplier is too expensive. We would need to re-introduce it back at the mine concentrate to re-process it for them.

This is why I am looking for a simple use for it Something local (NA).

Have you tried UV to get rid of excess ozone

Hello marcot,

This is a reach, but. I seem to recall the use of manganese in the production of glass to remove/reduce the green tint in glass caused by iron impurities.

Happy hoildays

React the manganese dioxide with sulfur dioxide to form manganese sulfate:

MnO₂ + SO₂ --> MnSO₄

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese(II)_sulfate

Then sell the crude (or purified) manganese sulfate to a fertilizer or animal feed manufacturer?

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/Manganese_Sulfate.html

Hello svengali:

I like your suggestion but, Doing as you advise means getting into the chemists job when the OP knows nothing about it. In particular, what vessel to use for the reaction, how much can be dealt with in one go, is it a dangerous reaction giving gas off, etc.

I think the supplier should take this back as with all he supplies to others, and sends it back to the original makers, who make yet more of these pellets after what would be a basic easy everyday job working on these pellets.

Sorry if this is not clear. I had a 'brain fade' while writing it.

I understand completely, you would definitely need a trained chemist and some expensive safety equipment. Sulfur dioxide is a toxic and very smelly gas! Also, the reaction I mentioned would be tricky to monitor since one indistinct pink-brown solid is being converted into another similar-appearing solid -- you'd need some specialized analytical instruments to tell if the reaction was over. Well, it was worth a look.

Hello svengali:

Just to say thank you for your reply post.

Just to make it clear, I was in no way criticizing you. If the quantity was larger, then it may well be worth it, but, for one ton a year..........It would be more wise to ship it back to the original manufacturers by road!

I think this and many other similar cases should be taken up by a chemical maker and even if a nominal fee was payable, at least it would be re-used. As it is, how many others are dumping this contaminated waste in ignorance, or because they have no other way to get rid of it?

It seems a clear cut case which could be used to pass a Law that the supplier must run a collection AND delivery service for this product ?

You would think it financially sound to establish some sort of reclaim. Unless of course the original price marking is so very exorbitant.

Hello TexasCharley:

Thanks for the post...And I hope you had a good Xmas?

It would be interesting to see exactly how much of this waste is delivered and then.........WHAT?...............If no one collects it has to be dumped illegally. Having read about the company the OP get his supply of the Manganese pellets from, I can tell you is it not a 'small business' by any measure! It is used by a lot of people and companies in very small amounts. Perhaps it would be viable to either get a smaller chemical company to collect this valuable waste, and or store it in a local solo near a rail track where a train could load it and transport it across country? Just a thought. But is anyone looking at this who gives a dam AND, who can do something to make this happen? Please write if if so!

Contact these guys.

http://www.frogswitch.com/

They make rock crushers.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I will try to organise something and keep you informed on this post.

Eventually, we might have a law like in Europe where MFG are required to take back their products. Meanwhile, when we refresh a customer's catalyst bed, we dispose of as a semi-dangerous substance is regulated sites. I feel that it should be re-recyclable.

Regards,

Hello marcot:

Can I say sorry from me at least for not helping you find what you wanted.

Apart from other suppliers and users setting up a small scale chemical works to take care of this waste or, as I said and you mention also, the supplying company collecting a used lot as a new lot in delivered, I can't see a way out of this.

I wish you luck and start lobbying your member of the congress and all and any local councillors.

Have a great new year!.................

Dear Babybear,

Your contribution is always appreciated. We might not have a final solution yet but someday we will. I still hope to find somebody that will be happy to use this material in their process. Sometimes these things take time. I might meet somebody running a small smelter or something similar.

Thank you for your help on this and other question you have helped with.

Happy new year,

Marco

Hello marcot,

I cannot thank you enough for the post. Very kind.

You never know, this thread may have rattle a few bells somewhere?

Thanks once again............

Have a great new year!