India has prohibited the export of lithium-ion battery black mass to ensure the material is processed domestically and strengthen the country’s efforts to recover critical minerals. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification on November 10, changing the export policy for lithium-ion battery black mass from ‘Free’ to ‘Prohibited’ with immediate effect, until further orders.
The move is aimed at ensuring the availability of raw material for domestic battery recyclers and refiners, as India looks to reduce its dependence on imported critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese. Black mass is a powder-like material generated by shredding used lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing waste after removing larger metal and plastic components. It contains recoverable quantities of minerals that are essential for electric vehicle batteries, energy storage systems, electronics and renewable energy technologies.
According to the Commerce Ministry, India has expanded its capacity to recycle battery waste and recover critical minerals, but domestic processing facilities are not being fully utilised because of insufficient availability of raw materials.