Process for the production of ferromanganese products from manganesebearing materials

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR OBTAINING RELATIVELY LOW-PHOSPHORUS, ENRICHED MANGANESE VALUES FROM LOW-MANGANESE, HIGHPHOSPHORUS, HIGH-IRON BEARING MATERIAL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF A CHARGE INTO A COVERED ELECTRIC FURNACE AND ONTO THE SURFACE OF A MOLTEN SLAG BATH MAINTAINED THEREIN, SUBJECTING THE CHARGE TO THE ACTION OF A RELATIVELY LOW-PHOSPHORUS FERROMANGANESE-ALLOY REDUCING AGENT WITHIN THE FURNACE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE 1300*C.-1500*C. TO EFFECT REDUCTION TO THE METALLIC STATE OF THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE IRON OF THE CHARGE MATERIAL WITH THE PRODUCTION OF MOLTEN METALLIC IRON CONTAINING PHOSPHORUS PRESENT IN THE ORIGINAL CHARGE MATERIAL, AND A LOW-PHOSPHORUS, MANGANESE-ENRICHED MOLTEN SLAG PRODUCT CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE MANGANESE OF THE ORIGINAL CHARGE MATERIAL TOGETHER WITH MANGANESE OF THE FERROMANGANESE-ALLOY REDUCING AGENT.