Author 1:
Name & Surname: Krylov I. O.
Company: Mining Institute of National University of Science and Technology MISiS (Moscow, Russia)
Work Position: Assistant Professor
Scientific Degree: Candidate of Engineering Sciences
Contacts: e-mail: vims-kio@mail.ru

Author 2:
Name & Surname: Yushina T. I.
Company: Mining Institute of National University of Science and Technology MISiS (Moscow, Russia)
Work Position: Head of department
Scientific Degree: Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Author 3:
Name & Surname: Epikhin A. N.
Company: All-Russian Research Thermal Engineering Institute (Moscow, Russia)
Work Position: Head of laboratory
Scientific Degree: Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Author 4:
Name & Surname: Strokov A. A.
Company: All-Russian Research Thermal Engineering Institute (Moscow, Russia)
Work Position: Researcher
Scientific Degree: Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Under discussion is a scenario of developing one of manganese deposits that are assumed economically ineffective in Russia if manganese ore dressing uses conventional processing charts to obtain metals, ferrous alloys or manganese compounds. The reason is low content of manganese and low dressability of such ore. Oxide-type ores are easy-to-dress but they only make 17% in the total ore reserves. This research shows that manganese ores can be fruitfully used in new promising charts in heat-power engineering in the capacity of high-temperature absorbing medium for hydrogen sulfide in gasifier-combined cycle plants for production of pure generator gas or synthesis gas for gas turbines, with reduced toxic emission. The best results to this effect are obtained using manganese ore with dominating content of braunite. Grey manganese ore changes composition of synthesis gas and decreases its chemical heat but, according to the research, enables manufacturing carbon nanotubes with a wide range of parameters. Considering high cost of replaceable synthetic high-temperature absorbants and manufactured nanotubes, development of manganese ore deposits becomes economic. In this case, manganese ore cost grows 3–4 times as against selling price but remains an order of magnitude lower than the replaceable analogs. The use of manganese ore in heat-power engineering and carbon nanotubes manufacture improves the ore quality in the oxidation–reduction process. The used-up ore goes to metallurgy, for ferromanganese production, and to other industries. The research findings justify the potential of profitable manganese ore extraction of up to 4 Mt annually for heat-power engineering and show an opportunity to manufacture up to 1 Mt of carbon nanotubes per year.

The research is carried out in the framework of the program “Prosecution of Research (Scientific Investigation, Applied Scientific Investigation and Experimental Development),” Assignment No. 2014/97.

1. Obzor rynka margantsa (margantsevogo syrya, ferrosplavov i soedineniy margantsa) v Rossii (Review of manganese market (manganese raw materials, ferroalloys and manganese compounds) in Russia). Infomine market research group. 2013. 153 p. Available at: http://www.infomine.ru/. (in Russian)
2. Available at: http://base.consultant.ru/cons/cgi/online.cgi?req=doc;base=EXP;n=432544. (in Russian)
3. Energeticheskaya strategiya Rossii na period do 2035 goda (Russian energy strategy till 2035). Russian Ministry of Energy. 263 p. Available at: http://www.minenergo.gov.ru/upload/iblock/a0c/a0c4668c84bd0df193ceee4c6f5f4595.pdf. (in Russian)
4. Olkhovskiy G. G., Suchkov S. I., Epikhin A. N., Krylov I. O., Somov A. A. Issledovanie sistemy gazifikatsii ugley s vysokotemperaturnoy ochistkoy generatornogo gaza (Research of coal gasification system with high-temperature purification of generator gas). Teploenergetika = Thermal Engineering. 2006. No. 7. pp. 67–73.
5. Strokov A. A., Epikhin A. N., Ugnachev V. I., Timashkov K. V. Issledovanie vysokotemperaturnoy seroochistki sintez-gaza prirodnoy zhelezomargantsevoy rudoy v kipyashchem sloe (Research of high-temperature sulphur-refinement of synthesis-gas by natural iron-manganese ore in boiling layer). Energetik = Power & Electrical engineering. 2012. No. 11. pp. 39–41.
6. Epikhin A. N., Krylov I. O., Lugovskaya I. G. Issledovanie ustoychivosti prirodnykh zhelezomargantsevykh sorbentov serovodoroda v srede sintez-gaza (Research of stability of natural iron-manganese hydrogen sulphide sorbents in synthesis-gas medium). Gazokhimiya = Gas chemistry. 2011. No. 3-4. pp. 85– 91.
7. Strokov A. A., Epikhin A. N., Krylov I. O., Dubinchuk V. T. et al. Ispolzovanie prirodnoy zhelezomargantsevoy rudy v kachestve katalizatora dlya polucheniya nanotrubchatogo uglerodnogo materiala (Use of natural iron-manganese ore as a catalyst for obtaining of nanopipe carbon material). Nanomaterialy i nanotekhnologii = Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies. 2012. No. 1. pp. 56–65.
8. Sidorenko D. S., Vovk A. V., Kutylev S. A., Kuzmicheva G. M., Dubovskiy A. B. Poluchenie i izuchenie uglerodnykh nanotrubok (Obtaining and research of carbon nanopipes). Vestnik Moskovskogo Instituta Tonkikh Khimicheskikh Tekhnologiy = Fine Chemical Technologies. 2009. Vol. 4, No. 1. pp. 52–59.
9. EETimes. Available at: http://www.russianelectronics.ru/leader-r/news/snabworldmarket/doc/67818/. (in Russian).