Key Points

The funding will enable MiniMines to transition from its demonstration facility to a continuous Hybrid-Hydrometallurg process unit capable of processing 3,000 TPA of battery material, scale its operations from pilot to industrial level, and establish an industrial-scale production facility.

The combined grants of Rs 4.3 crores from Oil India Limited, ACT for Environment, and UNIDO will be channelled into process engineering, plant commissioning, and the commercial validation of recycled battery-grade recovered materials. By moving into continuous processing and commissioning a full-scale plant, MiniMines aims to shorten lead times for the recovery of battery-grade raw materials, enable circularity of critical minerals with end-use consumers, and reduce lifecycle emissions in final products compared to conventional primary mining and processing.

Anupam Kumar, Co-founder and CEO, MiniMines, said, "We are honoured to receive these grants, as they give a strong impetus to our vision of building a self-reliant and sustainable critical minerals ecosystem for India. This support empowers us to prove that recycled materials can be produced reliably, at scale, and with the high purity required to integrate seamlessly into the battery manufacturing supply chain. This milestone positions MiniMines at the forefront of India's efforts to secure critical minerals and directly advances the objectives of the National Critical Minerals Mission."

"With ACT For Environment, our focus is on enabling disruptive tech-first innovations that have the potential to create outsized climate impact at scale, and MiniMines' work in the Li-ion battery recycling and critical minerals space fit that mandate perfectly. Beyond grant capital that aims to help them scale their model, our support is intended to help build an environmentally sound future for Bharat where rare resources are sourced locally and responsibly by turning waste into value, while enabling the country to become more economically resilient against global supply chain disruptions", said Alankrita Khera, Director, ACT.

UNIDO and Oil India Limited also expressed strong support for MiniMines' approach. UNIDO validated MiniMines' patented technology, Hybrid Hydrometallurgy, under their FLCTD program, in collaboration with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). They noted that as critical minerals become important for the clean energy transition, MiniMines' circular approach offers a practical way to secure these materials domestically.

MiniMines' technology focuses on producing materials at industrial purity while using only a fraction of the carbon footprint compared to conventional extraction methods. By converting end-of-life lithium-ion batteries into high-purity feedstock, the company aims to reduce India's dependence on imported raw materials and strengthen domestic manufacturing. This creates a more circular and resilient critical-minerals supply chain, providing Nickel for green hydrogen, copper for electronics, sulphates for fertilizers, and pre-CAM for lithium-ion cell manufacturing.

- ANI