Silico Manganese

Silico Manganese is an alloy with 65% to 68% manganese, 16% to 21% silicon, and 1.5% to 2% carbon. It is produced by smelting of slag from high-carbon Ferro Manganese or of Manganese ore with coke and a quartz flux. Smelting temperatures are high and greater energy is needed to reduce the quartz to silicon. Ferro manganese is an alloy of iron and manganese containing usually about 80% manganese. Ferro manganese is used mainly to counteract the bad effects of sulfur. It also acts as a deoxidizer and combines with sulfur, thereby improving the hot-working properties of the product. Silico Manganese is generally made in two grades, containing 60–65% Manganese (Mn) but with ideally either 14–15% Si or 15–19% Si. These alloys are preferred by steelmakers who require to add manganese and silicon simultaneously for deoxidation purposes. Silico-Manganese is used either as a substitute for ferro manganese and ferro silicon in steel making or as a raw material for the production of medium and LC ferro manganese and industrial manganese metal.  The product of deoxidation is a fluid manganese silicate slag.