MiniMines Secures Indian Patent for Hybrid Hydrometallurgy Technology for Lithium Ion Battery Recycling

Bengaluru based MiniMines Cleantech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. has secured an Indian patent for its proprietary Hybrid Hydrometallurgy (HHMR) technology, which is designed to recover critical minerals from end of life lithium ion batteries and electronic waste across various chemical compositions, sizes and shapes.

The patented process combines multiple recovery techniques into a unified hydrometallurgical system to extract high purity lithium, cobalt, manganese, aluminium, copper and nickel, along with spherical graphite with purity of up to 99 percent. The company said the technology is designed to maintain a low environmental footprint.

Developed in India, the HHMR technology has already been deployed and validated at MiniMines’ commercial facility, where it forms the basis of the company’s lithium ion battery recycling operations.

Arvind Bhardwaj, Co Founder and CTO, MiniMines Cleantech Solutions, said that the patent marks a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to build indigenous technology capabilities for India’s critical minerals ecosystem. He added that the technology is aimed at enabling sustainable, scalable and commercially viable resource recovery while reducing environmental impact.

Beyond lithium ion batteries, MiniMines is applying its recovery expertise to critical minerals and rare earth elements from diverse and complex waste streams.

The company’s efforts have received institutional support, including INR 4.3 crore in grants from Oil India Corporation following multiple process validations. Its low carbon battery recycling technology has also received recognition from UNIDO, BEE and GEF, along with support from ACT Grants and Mercedes Benz through its Climate Tech Incubator, Villgro.

MiniMines has also collaborated with Maruti Suzuki to recycle end of life lithium ion batteries and support the automaker’s sustainability and electric mobility objectives.

MiniMines provides end to end recycling solutions for end of life lithium ion batteries and focuses on technology development, commercial recycling and R&D for complex waste streams. Its HHM process is aimed at building a circular ecosystem for critical and rare earth minerals for applications across electric mobility, renewable energy and other advanced industries.