Mintek, South Africa’s national mineral research organization, is playing an important role in the HAlMan project, which aims to develop sustainable hydrogen and aluminothermic reduction process for manganese, its alloys and critical raw material production.
The work of Mintek team focuses on demonstrating hydrogen-based pre-reduction of manganese ores, followed by aluminothermic smelting—a process chain designed to eliminate carbon emissions from this critical metallurgical pathway.
Mintek’s researchers have also made significant contributions to the scientific literature. One of their publications that is also a result of the work implemented in the scope of the project HAlMan, Computational Reacting Flow Models for the Pre-Reduction of Lumpy Nchwaning Manganese Ore with Hydrogen, describes how advanced CFD modeling can predict the influence of temperature, flow fields, and reaction kinetics on reduction performance. These simulations allow researchers to pinpoint the optimum operating conditions, saving time and resources in experimental trials.
In a study, Evaluation of the Effects of Fluidization Conditions on Hydrogen Reduction in Manganese Ore Fines, Mintek investigated how particle size, bed temperature, gas velocity, and other factors affect hydrogen pre-reduction in fluidized beds. Their findings showed that while higher temperatures generally improve reduction rates, gains diminish above 700 °C, and excessive heating can cause operational challenges such as reactor brittleness and cohesive adhesion. The research also confirmed that extended residence times favor the formation of desirable reduced phases, providing key insights for scaling the process.
The use of hydrogen as a reductant offers major environmental advantages, including a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and improved energy efficiency during smelting. Mintek’s contribution combines large-scale experimental work with high-fidelity computational modeling, enabling both the physical validation of the process and a deeper understanding of its kinetics, thermodynamics, and operational parameters.
Mintek’s pilot-scale testing has already delivered promising results. The first smelting campaign successfully demonstrated the feasibility of hydrogen pre-reduction, achieving good reduction extent in the solid-state stage. This performance underscores the potential of hydrogen metallurgy in producing manganese alloys without relying on fossil fuels. The second campaign, implemented in year 2025, aims to further optimize the pre-reduction stage and complete the demonstration of the two main steps of the HAlMan process.
These efforts—computational modeling, pilot-scale campaigns, and targeted laboratory studies—position Mintek as an active player in the transition to carbon-free manganese alloy production.
Their work in the HAlMan project is helping to bridge the gap between theoretical promise and industrial reality, paving the way for cleaner metallurgical processes worldwide.