MiniMines recovers critical minerals from spent batteries at 99% purity, zero waste

The Story in Brief

MiniMines, co‑founded by chemical engineer Anupam Kumar with CTO Arvind Bhardwaj, uses a patented Hybrid‑Hydrometallurgy (HHM) process to recover minerals from end‑of‑life batteries. The firm says HHM works across chemistries including NMC, LFP, LCO, LTO and LMFP, and can process cells from wristwatches to electric buses. MiniMines reports about 96% recovery and more than 99% purity for lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper, and describes the system as a closed loop with no solid, liquid or gaseous waste.

The company aims to scale to 45,000 tonnes by 2028 and has been allotted 40 acres of subsidised land in Karnataka for a giga critical‑mineral refining complex. It says it receives manufacturing waste from cell makers such as Exide Ola, Nash Energy and Ather Energy. MiniMines received a ₹10 crore TDB grant and backing from Oil India and UNIDO; UNIDO and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency evaluated the process and called it the lowest carbon‑emitting technology. The firm is also adapting its chemistry for rare earths, spent magnets and solar panels, and says further geological studies are needed on domestic lithium.

The Indian Opinion

The article presents strong technical and environmental claims that come mainly from company executives: high recovery and purity rates, a closed‑loop zero‑discharge process, and a single process that handles evolving chemistries. The UNIDO and Bureau of Energy Efficiency evaluation and a TDB grant offer external recognition, but most large‑scale performance details are company statements. Scaling from pilot to 45,000 tonnes a year can surface engineering, supply‑chain and regulatory challenges not evident at smaller scale. Claims about domestic lithium reserves are noted as preliminary in the piece; independent, long‑term verification and further geological studies are still needed before treating the outcomes as settled.

Original article: Zero waste, 99% purity: MiniMines pulls critical minerals from dead batteries (www.hindustantimes.com)

This story was summarised and commented on by AI from the source linked above.