Que: Can you tell us about MiniMines’ key innovations and how the chemical composition of different battery chemistries affects your extraction process?

Ans: MiniMines specializes in battery recycling, but our approach goes beyond simply crushing batteries and exporting their active ingredients. We are the only company in the country that actively processes these materials, extracting elemental salts such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel separately. These elements have multiple industrial applications in India, making our work highly relevant.

We recycle batteries by recovering critical minerals from used batteries. There are multiple types of lithium-ion batteries, such as NMC, LFP, and LCO. To efficiently extract valuable metals, we have developed a process called hybrid hydrometallurgy, which consists of three technological stages: extraction, selective suppression, and beneficiation.
Extraction involves dissolving all the metals into a single aqueous medium from the graphite lattice structure of lithium-ion batteries. Since lithium moves between the anode and cathode during charging and discharging, it, along with cobalt and nickel, gets trapped in the graphite structure. Our process recovers these elements into a singular aqueous solution, which then serves as a feed for the selective suppression stage.

During selective suppression, we fine-tune temperature, pH, and pressure to selectively separate lithium, cobalt, and nickel. D-block elements have a unique property that allows them to be recycled indefinitely without any degradation in their characteristics. Each metal salt has a different solubility based on specific conditions, allowing us to sediment each element separately. What differentiates us from most recyclers in India is that we do not just process pre-existing black mass but conduct end-to-end recycling, extracting purified elemental salts. Most recyclers in India shred batteries to extract black mass, a composite of valuable metals, but this cannot be directly used by industries requiring specific purified metals. Our proprietary process ensures complete recovery of these materials, making them industry-ready.

Que: How does MiniMines ensure a steady supply of end-of-life batteries for recycling?

Ans: Our supply chain consists of both organized and unorganized sectors. The unorganized sector plays a crucial role in collecting batteries from consumer electronics, such as mobile phones and laptops. We have created a sustainable model that provides livelihood opportunities for individuals working in this sector. On the organized side, we have established partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including two-wheeler EV manufacturers such as Ola and battery manufacturers like Exide. Additionally, our strategic location ensures that within a 50-kilometer radius, we have access to multiple gigafactories producing cell manufacturing scrap, providing us with a constant supply of materials.

MiniMines addresses two major concerns for battery manufacturers. First, by promptly collecting their scrap lithium-ion batteries, we help ensure the safety of their facilities, as these batteries are classified as hazardous waste. Second, we assist in inventory management by preventing stockpiling, which requires extensive safety protocols and storage solutions. This not only reduces their operational risks but also optimizes costs. We also collaborate with bus manufacturers and battery pack suppliers, ensuring a stable and continuous supply of end-of-life batteries for our recycling process.

Que: What are the biggest market challenges in battery recycling, and how do they impact MiniMines in the long run?

Ans: One of the biggest challenges in the battery recycling industry is dealing with the unorganized sector. There is currently no structured reverse supply chain for consumer electronics batteries, making it difficult to standardize collection and processing. Since multiple intermediaries handle the batteries before they reach us, costs increase significantly. Another major issue is that a large percentage, that is estimated between 10 to 20%, of end-of-life batteries remain unused in people’s homes or end up in landfills. This represents a substantial loss of critical minerals that could otherwise be recovered for domestic use.

Public awareness about proper battery disposal is still limited. Many people, including my own parents, store old mobile phone batteries at home without knowing what to do with them. If this is a common scenario across households, the untapped potential for battery recycling is immense. Raising awareness and implementing effective battery disposal programs will be crucial for the future of the industry. Addressing these challenges will require coordinated efforts from policymakers, industry leaders, and consumers to streamline the supply chain and prevent valuable resources from going to waste.

Que: With the recent budget announcements exempting custom duties on certain minerals, how have fluctuating raw material prices affected the economics of battery recycling?

Ans: The recent budget changes have had a positive impact on our industry. The removal of import duties on key battery materials has encouraged increased manufacturing of battery packs and cells within India. This, in turn, expands the market for lithium-ion batteries, creating a larger feedstock for recycling. As the domestic production of batteries rises, so does the availability of end-of-life batteries, which benefits our operations.

From a pricing perspective, our sales are tied to the global commodities market, specifically the London Metal Exchange (LME) and the Shanghai Metal Exchange. While fluctuations in raw material costs influence market dynamics, our ability to procure both domestic and international battery waste helps stabilize supply. Additionally, with the exemption of import duties, we now have the option to source waste batteries from global markets, reducing our dependence on domestic supply alone. This ensures better pricing stability and a more consistent feedstock for our recycling process.

Que: What steps is MiniMines taking to ensure water and energy efficiency in your recycling operations?

Ans: Our recycling process is significantly more sustainable compared to traditional mining. When processing one ton of lithium or cobalt ore, we recover about 1.2 kg of lithium carbonate and 1.8–2.1 kg of cobalt salts. However, when recycling lithium-ion batteries, we extract approximately 12 kg of lithium carbonate and 22 kg of cobalt sulfate per ton, highlighting the efficiency of our process in comparison to mining.

We have also designed our operations to minimize resource consumption. Compared to conventional methods, we save approximately 200,000 liters of water per ton of processed batteries. Additionally, our process consumes 74% less energy than pyrometallurgy, which is highly energy-intensive. We also avoid using solvent-based extraction methods, which generate hazardous organic waste that requires long-term storage. Our Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system ensures that no solid, liquid, or gaseous waste is released during the recycling process, reducing our environmental footprint.

Que: Does MiniMines plan to expand beyond lithium-ion battery recycling to other segments?

Ans: Research and development are integral to our operations, and we continuously adapt to evolving battery technologies. My background in metal recovery, combined with my co-founder Arvind’s expertise in cell manufacturing, enables us to stay ahead of industry trends. Arvind was one of the pioneers in India’s lithium-ion cell manufacturing space, having built teams for companies like Log9 and Ather Energy. This experience has given us deep insights into the changing landscape of battery chemistries, from lithium-polymer and LCO to NMC and LFP, with ongoing advancements in sodium-ion and solid-state batteries.

We have developed the flexibility to tune our recycling processes according to different feedstocks. Our technology can handle not only various lithium-ion chemistries but also other materials such as supercapacitors, spent catalysts from hydrocracking processes, and catalytic converters used in vehicles. This ability to recover metals like cobalt and palladium from different waste streams positions us well for future expansions.

Que: Are there any plans for expansion, and what is your current operational capacity?

Ans: Our current recycling facility has an annual processing capacity of 3,000 metric tons, which translates to about 240 metric tons per month. However, we are actively scaling up operations and constructing a new plant that will increase our capacity to 10,000 metric tons per year. This expansion will allow us to meet the growing demand for battery recycling and contribute to a more sustainable circular economy.