52 
nodules are tenuous, but assuming recovery of 920,000 tons by 1985 
as estimated by the U.N. report, this would amount to 5.6 percent of 
the estimated world demand of manganese in ore. However, since 
manganese from nodules is expected to be marketed only as electro- 
lytic manganese metal, this amount of production would satisfy the 
world demand for pure manganese metal. Only if the pure metal could 
be marketed at a price competitive with ferromanganese would greater 
production from nodules be expected. 
Developing countries currently produce about 56 percent of the 
world’s manganese. According to the Secretary-General’s report these 
countries may be expected to feel a significant impact from nodule 
mining. However, as the U.S. working paper pointed out, the Secre- 
tary-General’s report failed to fully consider the uses of manganese 
and the market for manganese metal (primarily the small likelihood 
that ferromanganese from nodules would be sufficiently free of con- 
taminants for steelmaking). It seems unlikely that the assumption 
in the Secretary-General’s report of a significant impact on land- 
based manganese producers from nodule mining will be realized. The 
only country where manganese is a significant export factor is Gabon, 
where it is 20 percent of the total value of the exports. Manganese 
represents 2 percent or less of the value of the exports from each of 
the other developing country producers (Brazil, India, Zaire, Ghana, 
and Morocco). 
COBALT 
Cobalt has important magnetic and chemical properties, and is 
resistant to high temperatures. Although it is used in a variety of 
industrial products, it has a relatively small market. At lower prices, 
cobalt could substitute for a number of other metals such as nickel in 
a variety of uses. Cobalt is primarily produced as a by-product of 
copper and nickel refining. 
Preliminary data indicate the United States imported 77 percent 
of the 9,400 short tons of cobalt it consumed in 1974. The remainder 
was supplied from large sales from the Government stockpile and a 
small amount (240 tons) from recycled scrap. Domestic mine pro- 
duction ceased in 1971. The major import sources during the period 
1970-73 were: Zaire 49 percent, Belgium-Luxembourg 28 percent, 
Finland 7 percent, Norway 6 percent, Canada 5 percent, and others 
) percent. The U.S. Bureau of Mines estimates consumer stocks of 
about 1,000 tons of metal. The Government stockpile status report for 
November 30, 1974, listed an objective of 5,972 tons of cobalt with a 
total inventory of 25,595 tons and an excess of 19,623 tons. At a con- 
sumption rate of 9,000 tons per year, the stockpile inventory would 
yield less than a 3-year supply and the objective would last 8 months. 
The U.S. demand for cobalt is projected by the Bureau of Mines to 
increase about 2.6 percent per year through 1980. 
World mine production and reserves are summarized in Table 18. 
Two-thirds of the world’s production comes from Zaire; however, 
Increasing amounts are expected to come from other countries such 
as the Philippines, Australia, New Caledonia, Canada, and Zambia. 
Present land reserves are twice the cumulative world demand to the 
year 2000. The identified cobalt resources of the United States are 
estimated by the Bureau of Mines at more than 840,000 tons and 
world resources at more than 5,000,000 tons. 
