Visakhapatnam :
The stretch of Eastern Ghats in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh has nearly 14 million tons of manganese, according to research scholars from the department of Geology , Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.
One can find the ore in 22 metres depth from earth level in the district. As per industry sources, low quality manganese is priced around Rs 3,500 per ton whereas high quality is valued at Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 per ton.
Though the quantity is very large, but the available mineral is low grade when compared with the mineral sources in other parts of the country, particularly Madhya Pradesh, said Gollamudi Veeraswamy , a research scholar.
He said that the mandals like Garividi, Garb ham, Kondakinguva in Ramabhadrapuram in the district are full of manganese ore mines.
“When the phosphorous content is high, then it can be considered as low grade. High grade manganese contains very less volume of the phosphorous, against its average value,” Veeraswamy said.
Speaking to TOI, Veeraswamy’s guide Prof Nageswara Rao said though it is a low grade ore, it can be developed into a high grade one by removing the phosphorous. While Madhya Pradesh’s manganese ore contains nearly 0.1% of phosphorous per 100 grams, the Vizianagaram district’s manganese ore contains nearly 0.4%. “We can use this manganese also as per our needs. The manganese is particularly useful for iron and steel production industries.
Vizianagaram is the only district in Andhra Pradesh that has manganese ores. Roughly there is a deposit of nearly 14 million tons of manganese in the district, and it was formed 40,000 years ago” Nageswara Rao said.
Nearly 10 kg of manganese is required for manufacturing one ton of steel.The mineral is also used for making bleaching powder, insecticides, paints, batteries and china-clay . India has the second-largest manganese ore reserve in the world, after Zimbambwe.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / V. Kamalakara Rao, TNN / December 14th, 2015