Why is carbon used in manganese smelting?

In manganese processing, carbon is used as a high-temperature reducing agent to extract manganese metal from its ores.12

While higher manganese oxides can be reduced to manganous oxide (MnO) using carbon monoxide, the reduction of this lower oxide to the metal requires the presence of carbon at elevated temperatures. During the smelting process in a blast furnace or electric furnace, carbon facilitates the chemical reaction that frees the metal from its oxide form.123

This process typically results in the production of carbon-saturated ferroalloys, such as high-carbon ferromanganese, which are essential for steel manufacturing.43