Magnetization roasting followed by magnetic separation can upgrade ferruginous manganese raw materials, but its efficiency depends on the iron phase state after roasting. This study clarified the phase state and distribution of iron in magnetic and non-magnetic products obtained from ferruginous manganese ore and concentrate after magnetization roasting and dry magnetic separation. The materials were roasted at 600–650 °C using Shubarkol coal as a solid reducing agent and then separated at a magnetic field strength of 1.2 kOe. Chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Mössbauer spectroscopy were used to relate separation results to iron phase states. The Mn/Fe ratio in the non-magnetic products increased from 3.92 to 10.87 for the ore and from 2.98 to 23.99 for the concentrate, while 76.25% and 88.26% of iron were transferred to the corresponding magnetic fractions. Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that magnetite-type spinel components, including Fe₃O₄ and substituted (Fe_1−xM_x)₃O₄, were mainly associated with the magnetic products. Hematite-like and paramagnetic Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ components were also detected, indicating incomplete conversion of iron-bearing phases into magnetite-type spinels. The Mössbauer-area-weighted fraction of iron in magnetite-type spinel phases was 76.5% for the ore and 64.36% for the concentrate. These results explain the different separation behavior after roasting–magnetic treatment.

The beneficiation of ferruginous manganese ores is limited by the intimate intergrowth of manganese-, iron-, and silicate-bearing phases. This study evaluated coal-based magnetizing roasting followed by dry magnetic separation in an externally heated chamber furnace with a charge capacity of up to 100 kg. A 0–5 mm ore fraction with an initial Mn/Fe ratio of 2.9 was roasted with Shubarkol coal. The best separation was obtained at an actual ore–coal bed temperature of 550–600 °C and an ore-to-coal mass ratio of 1:0.4. Relative to the magnetic-separation feed, 80.0–83.4% of Fe was recovered in the magnetic fraction, while 69.9–72.6% of Mn remained in the non-magnetic product. Its Fe content decreased to 3.2–3.5%, increasing the Mn/Fe ratio to 7.30–7.84. X-ray diffraction showed preferential concentration of magnetite and jacobsite in the magnetic fraction, whereas hausmannite and braunite were concentrated mainly in the non-magnetic fraction together with the gangue phases. Multipoint measurements also demonstrated a substantial difference between the combustion-zone and actual bed temperatures. The results demonstrate that controlled low-temperature roasting can generate sufficient magnetic contrast for selective iron removal from ferruginous manganese ore.