Que: India has committed INR 1,500 crore to promote the recycling of critical minerals. From Recyclekaro’s perspective, what is the biggest gap this scheme needs to address?

Ans: The INR 1,500 crore Critical Mineral Recycling Incentive Scheme is an important first step because it recognises recycling not merely as a waste-management activity, but as a strategic source of mineral security. The scheme is expected to support around 3 lakh tonnes per annum of recycling capacity and enable recovery of approximately 40,000 tonnes of critical minerals annually.

The biggest gap now is what happens beyond capacity creation. India needs to build a predictable ecosystem around feedstock aggregation, processing, quality standards and, most importantly, assured domestic offtake for recovered materials. The scheme rightly focuses incentives on actual critical-mineral extraction rather than simply producing black mass, but the economics of recycling ultimately depend on whether recovered lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, rare earths and other materials can re-enter manufacturing supply chains at commercially viable specifications.

We therefore need to think of recycling as part of the critical-mineral supply chain, not as a standalone waste industry. Stronger linkages between recyclers, battery manufacturers, electronics companies and material processors would ensure that the INR 1,500 crore investment translates into actual domestic material security and not simply additional recycling capacity.

Que: China dominates much of the global critical-mineral processing and refining chain. How realistic is it for India to reduce its dependence on China through domestic recycling?

Ans: It is realistic, but we should be precise about what recycling can achieve. Recycling will not eliminate India's dependence on China overnight, nor can it substitute for domestic mining, international mineral partnerships and the development of refining capacity. What it can do is create a secondary domestic source of critical minerals that is independent of geological reserves and less exposed to international supply disruptions.

This is strategically important because the concentration is particularly high at the processing stage. China is the leading refiner for 19 of 20 strategic minerals, with an average share of around 70 percent, while its position is especially strong in battery materials, graphite and rare earths. India, meanwhile, remains 100 percent import-dependent for lithium, nickel and cobalt.

Recycling gives India something that primary mining cannot provide in the short term: a growing domestic resource base. Every tonne of battery waste, e-waste, manufacturing scrap or other secondary material processed domestically can potentially return critical minerals to Indian industry without requiring a new mine. The strategic objective should therefore be diversification rather than a simplistic replacement of one country with another. Domestic recycling, diversified overseas sourcing and domestic refining have to develop together.

Que: For India's expanding EV industry, how important could recycled lithium, cobalt, nickel and other materials become in lowering raw-material costs and reducing supply-chain risks?

Ans: Their importance will increase significantly as India's battery manufacturing ecosystem scales. India's annual lithium-ion battery demand could rise from around 40 GWh in 2025 to approximately 210 GWh by 2030. At the same time, India is building domestic cell manufacturing capacity, with 40 GWh already awarded under the PLI-ACC programme and additional manufacturers announcing significant capacity.

At that scale, recycled materials should be viewed as a strategic secondary feedstock, rather than simply a sustainability option. Recovered lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and other materials can reduce exposure to fluctuations in international commodity markets, shorten supply chains and retain more material value within the country. The economics will vary by chemistry, commodity prices and processing costs, so recycled material will not automatically be cheaper than virgin material in every market cycle.

The larger advantage is supply security. India's battery-material ecosystem remains heavily dependent on imports and domestic demand for recycled battery-grade materials is still relatively low today. As cell manufacturing expands, that equation can change. Creating reliable domestic demand for high-purity recycled materials will be critical to building a genuinely circular battery manufacturing ecosystem in India.

Que: Recyclekaro processes battery waste into black mass and subsequently recovers critical minerals. What are the key technological challenges in moving from black mass to high-purity battery-grade materials in India?

Ans: Producing black mass is only the beginning of the recycling value chain. The real technological challenge is converting a highly variable feedstock into consistent, high-purity materials that can meet the specifications required by downstream manufacturers.

Black mass can vary significantly depending on battery chemistry, manufacturer, cell format, age and state of degradation. It can contain lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and other valuable elements alongside aluminium, copper, iron, fluorine and other impurities. The challenge is therefore not simply extracting metals, but selectively separating them, controlling impurities and producing consistent chemical compounds at the required purity.

For India, another important challenge is developing process flexibility. A commercially viable recycler cannot assume that tomorrow's feedstock will have the same chemistry as today's. We need advanced sorting, better feedstock characterisation, efficient pre-treatment and increasingly sophisticated hydrometallurgical and separation technologies. At Recyclekaro, our focus has consequently been on moving beyond basic dismantling and black-mass production towards high-purity material recovery, because that is where much of the strategic value of recycling ultimately sits.

Que: Are you seeing sufficient demand from battery manufacturers, EV companies and electronics producers for domestically recovered critical minerals?

Ans: Demand is developing, but I would not describe the market as fully mature yet. India's battery manufacturing ecosystem is still being built, and a significant proportion of battery-grade materials continue to be imported. Domestic demand for recycled battery-grade materials also remains relatively low, which is one of the constraints limiting the scale-up of India's battery recycling sector.

However, the direction of travel is very clear. India is simultaneously building cell manufacturing capacity, expanding EV adoption, establishing critical-mineral policies and creating incentives for recycling. The PLI-ACC programme alone targets 50 GWh of domestic advanced chemistry cell manufacturing capacity, while manufacturers outside the PLI programme have announced around 178 GWh of additional capacity over the next five years.

What the industry now needs is a stronger bridge between recyclers and material consumers. Battery manufacturers should increasingly evaluate recycled materials not only on price but on purity, consistency, traceability and lifecycle value. Once recycled materials can reliably meet those specifications, we expect demand to move from being primarily compliance-driven to being an integral part of procurement and supply-chain strategy.

Que: Recyclekaro's partnership with Uzbekistan's Technological Metals Complex involves plans for a joint-venture facility for e-waste and battery recycling and critical-mineral recovery. Why was Uzbekistan chosen as the first international expansion

Ans: Uzbekistan is strategically interesting because it brings together three factors that are increasingly important in the critical-minerals economy: industrial capability, access to resources and regional market potential. Our partnership with the Uzbekistan Technological Metals Complex is not simply about establishing another recycling plant. It is about developing a critical-mineral recovery ecosystem that can serve Uzbekistan initially and potentially create a platform for the wider Central Asian region.

TMK brings an established industrial and research ecosystem, including its strong industrial record in Central Asia, while Recyclekaro brings experience in urban mining, battery and e-waste processing and critical-material recovery. Our discussions have specifically included technological waste processing, recovery of valuable components and joint R&D opportunities.

The partnership also has a strong strategic context. India and Uzbekistan have elevated their bilateral relationship, with critical minerals and resource cooperation becoming increasingly important. The proposed facility is currently moving through feasibility work, and its eventual scale will be determined through that process. For Recyclekaro, the objective is to take Indian recycling and resource-recovery expertise into a region where the circular-economy infrastructure for critical materials is still developing.

Que: What would you change in India's battery-waste and e-waste regulations to improve the availability and traceability of recyclable material?

Ans: India has made considerable progress with EPR, but the next stage needs to focus on traceability, quality of feedstock and the movement of material through the formal recycling chain. Today, the system needs greater visibility from the point at which a product or battery reaches end of use to the point at which it enters refurbishment, recycling or material recovery.

I would prioritise a more granular digital chain of custody for batteries and high-value electronic products, with information on the producer, chemistry, capacity, ownership or custodian, collection channel and eventual refurbishment or recycling outcome. This becomes particularly important as India moves towards a larger second-life battery ecosystem. A battery should not be treated simply as waste once it leaves its first application. It should be assessed for reuse or refurbishment where technically viable, with recycling becoming the next pathway when further use is no longer safe or economical.

The regulatory framework should also create stronger integration between producers, authorised collection partners, refurbishers and recyclers. The objective should be to create a transparent hierarchy: reuse where technically possible, refurbishment or repurposing where viable, and recycling for material recovery when the battery has genuinely reached the end of its useful life. That would improve resource efficiency while also giving India a much more reliable domestic stream of critical minerals.