Progress of the project
Progress of the Horizon Europe project HAlMan
The Horizon Europe project HAlMan is marking significant achievements in its journey towards innovative solutions and sustainable processes to become a game changer in the metallurgical industry. From groundbreaking publications to compelling project results and successful pilot tests, delve into the remarkable progress and transformative impact of HAlMan activities.
Project HAlMan Kick-off
An international consortium started the work to develop a sustainable methodology for manufacturing manganese (Mn) and its alloys from Mn ores and Mn-rich waste, leveraging hydrogen and recycled aluminum as reducing agents. The HAlMan project, promises to revolutionize the metallurgical sector by fostering sustainable practices characterized by minimal carbon emissions, reduced energy usage, the elimination of solid waste, and the reclamation of secondary raw materials from mining and metallurgical fields.
Manganese mapping
In the realm of metallurgical innovation, the utilization of resources is a critical factor in driving sustainability and efficiency. Within the HAlMan project, a pioneering initiative aimed at revolutionizing metallurgical processes, a key focus lies in mapping currently underutilized manganese (Mn) sources that could be harnessed to advance the project’s objectives. Consortium partner Admiris implemented this work that lasted for several months, starting from February 2023.
Project HAlMan consortium meeting in Poland
A two-day consortium meeting was held in Starachowice, Poland, and hosted by the HAlMan consortium partner ODLEWNIE POLSKIE S.A. This meeting was an opportunity for each of the consortium partners to provide updates on their recent work accomplishments and outline their plans for the upcoming months. The meeting was held in hybrid mode, thus the presentations were given both on-site and online.
Process step 1: Use of hydrogen to reduce Manganese ore
Different manganese ores and pre-reduction reactors are evaluated in lab and pilot scale to investigate the reduction behaviour as well as to optimise the process for the different applications. The pre-reduced manganese ore is tested in batteries as well as used as an input material in the next process step in HAlMan i.e. smelting-aluminothermic reduction.
IEA 2023 Global Hydrogen Review
Organized by the Horizon Europe project HAlMan (coordinated by Maria Wallin from NTNU), in collaboration with the Horizon 2020 project HARARE (Casper van der Eijk from Sintef), the course on “Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier and Reductant in Metallurgical Applications” drew significant attention, as it aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of hydrogen’s potential within the metallurgical industry.
Sintef has now done their first Pilot trial: pre-reduction of Mn ores by hydrogen
The first pilot scale trial in HAlMan has been successfully conducted by Sintef on March 13th 2024. This trial is the first out of four pilot trials that will be performed in Sintef’s plasma rotary furnace.
HAlMan consortium meeting and visits to partner facilities in South Africa
HAlMan consortium held a consortium meeting from May 29 to 31, 2024, in Witbank and Johannesburg, South Africa. This meeting provided a crucial opportunity for the consortium partners to discuss the project’s progress, present their achievements, and strategically plan the way forward. In addition, the partners visited two facilities - Transalloys and Mintek.
MINTEK demonstrates carbon-free production of Mn ferroalloys
Mintek, South Africa’s national mineral and metallurgical research institution, recently completed a pilot test demonstrating a sustainable, carbon-free process for producing ferromanganese alloys using hydrogen and aluminum as reductants. The HAlMan process successfully smelted over 3600 kg of manganese-containing material using a 200 kW DC arc furnace, achieving more than 70% manganese content in the final alloy with minimal CO2 emissions. The process also generated an alumina-rich slag by-product suitable for further refining, ensuring zero waste. These results highlight the HAlMan process's potential to enhance sustainability and reduce emissions in pyrometallurgical applications.
The HAlMan project consortium 5th progress meeting in Greece
The HAlMan team gathered in Greece, hosted by NTUA and METLEN, to discuss raw materials, lab-scale results, and pilot trials planned for 2025. Highlights included visits to NTUA's labs and METLEN's facilities, showcasing CRM recovery processes. The meeting also addressed business opportunities, environmental assessments, and future dissemination activities.
Hydrogen Pre-Reduction and Sustainable Aluminothermic Smelting of Manganese Ore for Ultra-Low Carbon Ferromanganese Production
The study conducted by PhD candidate Pankaj Kumar NTNU demonstrates how hydrogen pre-reduction improves manganese ore smelting behavior and enables a sustainable aluminothermic (HAlMan) process to produce ultra-low carbon ferromanganese with high manganese recovery, while offering recyclable slag by-products and reduced carbon emissions.
HALMAN Consortium 6th Meeting: Highlights, Achievements and Future Directions
The HAlMan project consortium convened in London for a project meeting hosted by Imperial College London. This meeting offered an opportunity for partners to reflect on achievements to date, present pilot testing results and collaborate on the path forward.
Demonstrating the aluminothermic reduction smelting of pre-reduced manganese ores at Mintek, South Africa
Mintek researchers have piloted a breakthrough approach to decarbonising manganese alloy production using hydrogen and aluminium as carbon-free reductants. The HAlMan process aims to transform conventional pyrometallurgy by drastically cutting CO₂ emissions while turning slag into a valuable secondary material, moving the industry closer to zero-waste operations. During the second pilot campaign in June 2025, more than 3 tonnes of hydrogen pre-reduced ore were successfully smelted, producing high-quality ferromanganese and calcium-aluminate slag with negligible carbon emissions. Beyond the technical milestone, the campaign also marked a historic moment for Mintek as women joined the frontline furnace operations team for the first time, highlighting both technological and social progress within the project.
HALMAN Consortium 7th Progress Meeting, Düsseldorf
The HALMAN consortium meeting was held at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung (MPIE) in Düsseldorf, Germany, bringing together partners to review project progress and discuss next steps towards key milestones. The meeting also included a visit to MPIE’s research facilities and discussions on exploitation strategies as the project approaches its final phase.
Prereduction of Manganese Ores through H2 Gas (UMK and Gloria Ores)
Calcination Enhanced Hydrogen Prereduction of Manganese Ores: Kinetics, Porosity Evolution, and Rate-Controlling Mechanisms in High-Carbonate UMK and Gloria Ores from the Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa.
The object of this was to establish hydrogen-based pre-reduction of manganese ores as a low-carbon alternative to conventional carbon-based pre-reduction routes. The work focuses on understanding the influence of ore mineralogy, carbonate content, calcination, and temperature on hydrogen reactivity, reduction kinetics, and rate-controlling mechanisms. The outcomes provide critical input for the design and upscaling of hydrogen-based manganese processing routes within the HAlMan framework. It was conducted by Alok Sarkar, Ph.D. Student, NTNU, Norway.
Strategic identification and sourcing of HAlMan Raw Materials in Europe
The HAlMan consortium conducted a strategic European-wide mapping and sourcing activity to identify primary and secondary raw materials suitable for the HAlMan process, focusing on manganese-rich resources, industrial by-products, and sustainable reducing agents. Priority materials were selected, collected, and delivered for laboratory testing and validation, supporting the development of innovative and resource-efficient processing routes.
Full laboratory characterisation of selected Raw Materials
The consortium performed detailed laboratory characterisation of selected materials to support the development and optimisation of HAlMan processes. Analytical testing was successfully completed for 15 manganese ore samples, seven manganese slag samples, one aluminium dross sample, samples of quarry powder wastes i.e. marble, limestone and dolomite powder waste along with manganese tailings obtained from Greece.
The results confirmed the technical suitability of these materials for hydrogen pre-reduction and subsequent aluminothermic production of FeMn and AlMn alloys, supporting the feasibility of the HAlMan processing route.
The HALMAN project consortium’s 8th progress meeting in Trondheim, Norway
The HALMAN project progress review was successfully held in Trondheim at the premises of the project coordinator, NTNU, and consortium partner, SINTEF. The meeting was highly productive, with consortium members presenting updates on achieved milestones and engaging in constructive discussions on the next steps and future activities.
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The second campaign: Demonstrating the aluminothermic reduction smelting of pre-reduced manganese ores at Mintek, South Africa
This pilot test second campaign concluded in February, 2026.This campaign marked a historic moment at Mintek when the operations team first brought aboard women as front line operators, involved from furnace relining to charge feeding, and all the way to “standing in the line of fire” while tapping the furnace.Campaign 2 smelting was on Nchwaning and United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK) ores which were pre-reduced in a vertical retort furnace. The campaign aimed to highlight the process’s significant potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Mn alloy production (Mn metal, green FeMn, and Mn-Al alloys) and the production of calcium-aluminate slag as a valuable by-product.