Crucial step marks a significant stride towards realizing India’s self-sufficiency in the EV sector
Mail News Service
Jamshedpur: The National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), located in the steel city, has taken a significant step towards bolstering India’s self-reliance in the electric vehicle (EV) sector by inaugurating CSIR’s inaugural battery recycling pilot facility today.
In a collaboration supported by the CSIR-Bulk Chemical Mission, NML has unveiled a state-of-the-art facility capable of dismantling and recycling batteries, with a primary focus on recovering critical metals like Lithium, Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt.
The newly- established facility, situated within the NML campus, boasts a cutting-edge infrastructure designed to handle the recycling of various rechargeable battery types, particularly lithium-ion batteries, including Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) variants, and nickel-based batteries.
This comprehensive facility encompasses a 1-ton-per-day (1TPD) battery dismantling and cathode material separation unit, as well as an integrated large-scale hydrometallurgical facility for the extraction and separation of the aforementioned critical metals.
The facility’s versatility extends to accommodating batteries of different chemistries, demonstrating its potential as a hub for process validation and technology transfer under the HIRE-OPERATE-TRANSFER mode. It can efficiently process spent rechargeable batteries from various sources, and it is not limited to specific battery chemistries, thus making it a valuable asset for the sustainable management of battery waste.
NML’s battery recycling initiative is underpinned by a patent-pending flowsheet, developed by a team of inventors including Pratima Meshram, Abhilash, and Sanjay Kumar.
This flowsheet outlines a closed-loop extraction and separation process, ensuring the efficient recovery of all valuable metals from spent lithium-based batteries. This innovative technology can potentially be adapted to other battery types, depending on the recycling industry’s demands and requirements.
The technology’s transition from innovation to commercialization is already underway, with ongoing validation efforts in collaboration with two Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India. This crucial step marks a significant stride towards realizing India’s self-sufficiency in the EV sector and addressing the growing need for sustainable battery recycling solutions.
NML’s commissioning of CSIR’s First Battery Recycling Pilot Facility underscores India’s commitment to advancing its electric vehicle industry and promoting environmentally responsible battery recycling practices. This facility represents a vital link in the nation’s pursuit of Atmanirbhar EV (self-reliant electric vehicle) production and sustainability.