01 Shift towards Electric Vehicles Shifts towards electric vehicles track the demand for electric batteries, where manganese sulfate is a key component. People’s gradual approach towards electric vehicles is ultimately creating opportunities for the battery market and hence a strong need for manganese sulfate. For example, companies from North America, such as Electric Metals, are planning to construct a high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate plant to serve the electric vehicle battery market. The rising shift towards electric vehicles is getting highlighted through investments made by major market players. This is further directing the demand for manganese sulfate in electric vehicles.
02 Shift towards Bio-Hydrometallurgical Extraction The requirement of manganese sulfate in its pure form is necessary across various applications such as batteries in electric vehicles, animal feed, fertilizers, and others. So, to obtain the pure form of manganese sulfate, companies are shifting towards new techniques such as the hydrometallurgical technique. This method extracts metal compounds from minerals by using an aqueous solution. For instance, Mineral Oxidation has been using the bio-hydrometallurgical technique. This bio-processing technique ensures the production of a concentrated solution of the extractable moiety. Such approaches confirm the availability of the purest form of manganese and, hence, manganese sulfate to be applicable across multiple industries, ensuring product quality. Hence, the technology is shifting towards the hydrometallurgical technique.
June 2026 Manganese Metal Company (MMC) completed the first phase of its High-Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HPMSM) plant in Mbombela, South Africa. The facility strengthens regional battery-grade manganese sulfate production capacity, and the company announced plans to evaluate a significantly larger second-phase expansion.
June 2026 AE Fuels Corporation, in collaboration with CSIRO, successfully completed continuous mini-pilot testing for battery-grade high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM), achieving 95–99% manganese recovery and producing battery-grade crystals, advancing commercialization of its processing technology.
May 2026 Electric Metals (USA) Ltd. initiated a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for downstream HPMSM and electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) processing facilities as part of its North Star Manganese Project, supporting development of a domestic U.S. battery-grade manganese sulfate supply chain.
June 2025 Element 25 Limited and General Motors advanced construction of the first U.S. battery-grade manganese sulfate production facility in Louisiana, backed by GM's strategic investment. The project is designed to strengthen the North American EV battery materials supply chain.