Que: India is sitting on a ticking lithium-ion waste bomb. From a policy and infrastructure standpoint, what do you see as the biggest barriers to scaling lithium-ion battery recycling in India?

Ans: India’s lithium-ion battery waste is piling up at an alarming rate. The country produced roughly 70,000 tonnes in 2024, yet only about 5 percent found its way into formal recycling streams. The Central Pollution Control Board warns that this figure could soar past 200,000 tonnes a year by 2030. Even with the Battery Waste Management Rules (2022) in place, there are major gaps: weak collection systems, limited licensed recycling capacity, and an informal sector that handles more than 90 percent of e-waste under unsafe conditions. With high transport costs and low public awareness, the challenge grows even larger.

We founded MiniMines to tackle these pain points from the ground up. At the core of our model is our patented Hybrid‑Hydrometallurgy (HHM) process that blends the advantages of pyro‑ and hydrometallurgy while avoiding their environmental drawbacks. The closed-loop system recovers lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese at 96 percent purity and operates with minimal liquid discharge. To date, the technology has saved 20 million litres of water and averted more than 7,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

In just six months, our Bengaluru plant is already processing 3,000 tonnes of battery waste, and we have planned to boost the capacity to 10,000 tonnes. With robust policy support, smarter logistics, and investment in regional infrastructure, India can move from heavy battery-material importer to circular-economy leader. Our mission is to turn discarded batteries into a dependable domestic resource, accelerating the nation’s drive toward clean, self-reliant energy.

Que: China dominates the global lithium supply chain. How critical is strategic autonomy in raw material sourcing for India’s clean energy ambitions? What role can domestic recyclers play in reshaping this narrative?

Ans: China’s grip on the battery minerals trade is hard to ignore. The country refines roughly 75 percent of the world’s lithium, produces more than 70 percent of cathode materials, and controls nearly 85 percent of global anode production. India, by contrast, imports over 90 percent of its lithium and cobalt requirements and spent about USD 2 billion on battery-related imports in 2024 alone. Demand is only set to rise: India’s advanced-chemistry cell (ACC) needs are projected to exceed 220 GWh by 2030, translating into millions of tonnes of critical mineral demand. Relying so heavily on a single foreign supply chain exposes India to price shocks, export curbs, and geopolitical tension risks that could stall the country’s electric vehicle rollout and its target of 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030.

Establishing strategic autonomy in raw-material sourcing will be important to protect India's clean-energy roadmap. Domestic recyclers are positioned to play a transformative role in this landscape. By recovering valuable materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel from end-of-life batteries, they reduce the need for imports and create a circular supply chain within the country. Recycling also helps to reduce environmental damage associated with mining and helps stabilise raw material costs in the long run.

As battery consumption scales up rapidly in India, the recycling ecosystem can become a strategic pillar of the clean energy transition, helping the nation achieve both sustainability and sovereignty.

Que: MiniMines’ patented ‘Hybrid-Hydrometallurgy’ process claims to reduce the carbon footprint by 90 percent. How does this work and how does it compare to pyrometallurgy and other existing recycling methods?

Ans: At MiniMines, we have invented a chemical process called Hybrid-Hydrometallurgy (HHM), which is aimed at addressing the gaps associated with pyrometallurgy and conventional hydrometallurgy recycling alternatives. Pyrometallurgy employs high-temperature smelting, resulting in significant energy usage and CO₂ emission. Traditional hydrometallurgical recycling, though lower in carbon intensity than pyrometallurgy, typically uses significant volumes of strong acids, which develop hazardous liquid waste as a byproduct, where significant investment in treatment systems will be required.

Our HHM process is designed to employ a closed-loop ambient temperature approach utilising controlled chemical leaching to selectively recover and extract certain critical materials, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. By this process, we achieve 96 percent purity in the recuperated metals and have zero liquid discharge, making it both environmentally and economically sustainable.

From a carbon footprint standpoint, this approach can cut up to 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional mining or smelting. On the economic side, the HHM method has lower capex and opex requirements due to its modular design, faster throughput, and minimal energy and water use. This not only reduces processing costs but also improves scalability, especially in regions where energy and water efficiency are important. It’s a future-ready, localised solution built for circularity, turning waste batteries into a dependable resource for India’s clean-tech ambitions.

Que: How scalable is this technology, and are you currently working with any OEMs, battery manufacturers, or government agencies to commercialise it at an industrial level?

Ans: Our Hybrid-Hydrometallurgy (HHM) technology was built with scalability at its core. Unlike conventional recycling techniques that rely on energy-intensive smelting or hazardous liquid waste-generating processes, our HHM method strikes a balance between efficiency, sustainability, and economic viability. It is a modular, closed-loop system that can be adapted to process a wide range of battery chemistries, making it well-suited for India's diverse and growing battery waste landscape. Its modular nature also means the technology can be replicated across regions, allowing us to build a decentralised, pan-India recycling infrastructure in line with emerging waste volumes.

We have already commercialised this technology at our facility in Dodballapur, Bengaluru, which became operational six months ago. This facility currently can process 3,000 tonnes of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries annually, and we are in the process of scaling up to 10,000 tonnes. We have formed partnerships with various leading OEMs, EV manufacturers, battery assemblers, and e-waste collectors to establish a compliant collection and reverse logistics network. These partnerships will ensure a steady inflow of battery waste as well as strengthen our shared commitment to sustainability and circularity.

Our broader vision is to use this foundation to create a nationwide network of regionally distributed recycling units, particularly in high-EV penetration states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. This will ensure that the battery waste generated locally is also recycled locally, reducing transportation costs, emissions, and dependency on centralised processing hubs.

Que: With lithium prices fluctuating globally and India pushing for battery manufacturing, do you see a viable commercial pathway where recycling outpaces mining in terms of cost-effectiveness and scalability?

Ans: We have observed recycling growing into not just a feasible substitute for mining but, in many ways, a more intelligent and more sustainable option.

Lithium prices have fluctuated wildly around the world, from over USD 80,000 per ton in December 2022, to USD 13,000 per ton in January 2023. This kind of volatility puts pressure on manufacturers and highlights the risks of depending on global supply chains. India currently imports over 90 percent of its lithium and more than 75 percent of other critical battery materials, much of it from a few countries like China, Chile, and the DRC. That’s a serious vulnerability when we’re trying to build a strong domestic battery and EV industry.

Recycling offers a way to reduce this reliance. At MiniMines, we’ve developed a patented Hybrid-Hydrometallurgy process that can recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese with over 96 percent purity. It reduces carbon emissions by 90 percent compared to conventional mining and uses less water and land.

As India generates more battery waste, recycling will play an important role in stabilising raw material costs, supporting local manufacturing, and building a circular economy.

Que: MiniMines’ work is deeply aligned with India’s circular economy goals. In your view, what specific policy or regulatory interventions would spur the growth of battery recycling startups?

Ans: Although India has made certain progress in advancing battery recycling through the Battery Waste Management Rules (2022) and a systematic Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, there remains a gap between intent and execution. Despite EPR being in place, India recycled only 5 percent of the 70,000 metric tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste generated in 2024. More than 90 percent of all e-waste is still processed by the informal sector, often using unsafe, unregulated, and unethical practices.

A lack of access to capital is a significant barrier. Recycling lithium-ion batteries requires expensive infrastructure and significant research and development. Access to capital at low interest rates, green subsidies, and tax incentives using environmentally friendly principles (such as tax exemption on recovered materials and tax reductions on purchases of recycling equipment) would help a lot of start-up businesses to enter and grow within this field.

Looking ahead, to manage the growing e-waste responsibly, the nation needs regionally distributed recycling hubs, especially in high-EV-penetration states. Accelerating regulatory clearances, providing land access in industrial corridors, and creating public-private partnerships can ensure that India not only handles its battery waste sustainably but also turns it into a strategic asset for self-reliance in critical minerals.

Que: Does MiniMines plan to expand beyond Lithium-ion battery recycling? What are your future plans in the next 5 years?

Ans: Currently, we have decided to only target lithium-ion battery recycling. This sector is at the forefront of the global energy transition, powering electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and grid storage. With the rise of lithium-ion battery usage and the increasing need to deal with their end of life sustainably, we believe that we should focus exclusively on this area.

In the next five years, our goal is to grow our capacity to recycle and process lithium-ion battery waste up to 30,000 tonnes per year. This will allow for the recovery of more minerals domestically and reduce India’s dependence on critical mineral imports and support India in meeting its clean energy and manufacturing agenda. We are also growing our physical footprint by establishing pre-processing units in Delhi and even on the Jharkhand-West Bengal border to improve logistics and build local circular economy ecosystems. Ultimately, we are working towards making lithium-ion battery recycling economically viable and environmentally sustainable at scale.