What is manganese sulfate?

Manganese sulfate is one of the most widely used sulfate compounds, which is used in agriculture and industry. This chemical, with the chemical formula MnSO₄.nH₂O, can keep 1 to 7 water molecules in its crystalline structure. Anhydrous manganese sulfate is white (with a pale and undertone pink color) and the heptahydrate crystals are pale pink. The small amount of manganese is required in the body to produce the enzyme reductase. However, increasing the dissolved manganese in the blood causes disorders in nerve cells and neurons.

Manganese is the twelfth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust and found in significant amounts in the form of oxidized, silicate, and carbonate minerals. Its main minerals are pyrolusite (MnO₂), psilomelane ((Ba,H₂O)₂ Mn₅O₁₀), rhodochrosite (MnCO₃), manganite (MnO(OH)) and cryptomelane (K(Mn^{4+, Mn2+})₈O₁₆). Manganese minerals are often associated with iron, and in some iron ores, manganese is found as an associated element.

This chemical is the most widely used synthetic compound containing the element manganese due to its high solubility in water and its ability to be absorbed by plants.

Manganese sulfate production method

The most important mineral for supplying of manganese in the production of sulfate and other manganese compounds is manganese dioxide (MnO₂) or pyrolusite. After extracting from the mine, this black substance must be ground and powdered to be ready for leaching operations in steel, polyethylene or fiberglass-covered tanks.

Manganese dioxide powder and water are added to the tank with suitable stirring speed, then blowing sulfur dioxide gas (SO₂) into the solution reduces the manganese dioxide suspended in the water and converts it into a soluble manganese sulfate. The sulfur dioxide gas is produced by burning elemental sulfur. The reason of using sulfur dioxide instead of sulfuric acid is that manganese dioxide is insoluble in sulfuric acid.

After the dissolution process, the solution is filtered to separate the insoluble material and then the filtrate is condensed and after cooling, the heptahydrate manganese sulfate crystals are formed. Also, the filtrate can be dried using a spray dryer in order to produce monohydrate manganese sulfate. To perform this process, it should be noted that sulfur dioxide gas is very toxic, and inhaling it can lead to bleeding in the respiratory trac, suffocation, burning eyes, and death.

Another way to dissolve manganese dioxide is to use strong reductants such as oxalic acid with the chemical formula C₂H₂O₄  or sodium azide with the chemical formula NaN₃ in the presence of sulfuric acid. However, these methods are more expensive than dissolving with sulfur dioxide gas.

The most common impurities associated with this chemical are the elements such as iron, cobalt, nickel, arsenic, and cadmium, which can be separated by suitable precipitation agents during production and the purer manganese sulfate obtained.

This chemical at temperatures above 850 °C decomposes into sulfur dioxide gas and manganese dioxide. Also, its reaction with sodium carbonate produces manganese carbonate and sodium sulfate.

Applications of manganese sulfate

• Used as a fertilizer in agriculture and horticulture
•  Used for protection of lead anodes in the zinc ingot production procedure
•  Used in the production of cathodic copper to protect lead anodes

•  Raw material for the production of manganese carbonate

•  Production of feed for livestock and poultry

• Raw material for the production of other manganese compounds

Hamun Industrial Group, with its complete production line of manganese sulfate, is ready to produce, supply and sell high quality th8 and is comparable with foreign products for the country’s industrialists and farmers.

Our manufactured manganese sulfate is sold with the following specifications:

Manganese grade: 33%

Seeding: Powder with mesh 150

Packaging: 25Kg and 1000Kg