Manganese is an essential element in steelmaking and batteries. Ukraine is estimated to have the largest total reserves in the world at 2.4 billion tons. However, the deposits are of fairly low grade – only about 11% to 35% of the rock mined is manganese. So it tends to require a lot of material and expensive processing, adding to the total cost.

Critical minerals are in demand around the world for military, technological and other uses. A geoscientist shares what’s known about Ukraine’s reserves, which could help the country recover from war