Carbothermal Reduction of Manganese Oxide in Different Gas Atmospheres

Carbothermal reduction of manganese oxides was studied in hydrogen, helium, and argon at different temperatures and carbon-to-manganese oxide ratios. Isothermal and temperature programmed carbothermal reduction experiments were conducted in a fixed bed reactor in a vertical tube furnace, with on-line monitoring of gas composition by the CO-CO₂ infrared sensor. The extent of reduction was calculated using the off-gas composition and LECO oxygen contents in the reduced samples. In all gas atmospheres, the reaction rate increased with temperature. The reduction rate of manganese oxide in hydrogen was higher than in helium, and in helium higher than in argon. This was attributed to the involvement of hydrogen in the reduction process and the difference in CO and CO₂ diffusion coefficients in helium and argon.