India wants lithium-ion battery black mass generated within the country to be recycled domestically, rather than exported to overseas markets. The government's export ban aims to secure a steady supply of valuable raw materials for Indian recyclers and strengthen the country's critical mineral recovery ecosystem.
Sources told NDTV Profit, the restriction will ensure adequate feedstock for domestic recycling facilities. It is also expected to improve capacity utilisation across existing plants and encourage fresh investments in battery waste processing and mineral recovery.
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Black mass contains valuable materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. Recovering these minerals within India can reduce dependence on imported raw materials and support the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
The government also wants to increase domestic recovery of these critical minerals. However, recyclers need sufficient quantities of battery waste to operate their facilities efficiently. Retaining locally generated black mass could help address this requirement and improve the commercial viability of recycling operations.
The export ban also complements the government's Rs 1,500-crore incentive scheme for recycling critical minerals. The scheme aims to expand domestic recycling capacity and strengthen the recovery of valuable materials from discarded products.
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By restricting exports, the government intends to ensure that facilities developed under the incentive programme have access to adequate raw materials. This could help attract investment in mineral recovery and build stronger links between battery waste processing and domestic manufacturing.
The broader objective is to establish a domestic supply chain for critical minerals used in batteries, electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Retaining black mass within India is expected to support this effort by making discarded batteries an important source of secondary raw materials.
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