Effect of mechanical activation on dissolution of manganese from Denizli - Tavas manganese carbonate ore in acidic media

Manganese is a strategic element used in several industrial activities such as steel production, preparation of dietary additives, fertilizers, cells and fine chemicals. Hence, many efforts have applied recently to develop a commercial hydrometallurgical process to recover manganese from manganese ores. These direct reductive acid leaching include sulphuric acid together with hydrogen peroxide, oxalid acid, iron(II) sulphate and aqueous sulphur dioxide.In this study, a manganese carbonate ore from Denizli-Tavas region in Turkey was mechanically activated at different milling times and amorphization in the ore structure was analyzed by using X-ray diffraction analysis. Sulfuric acid leaching of the non-activated and activated manganese carbonate ore was investigated at different temperatures, durations and acid concentrations. The results showed that dissolution of manganese from the ore increased after mechanical activation of the ore, due to disorderings in the ore structure.Keywords: manganese carbonate ore, acidic leaching, mechanical activation