India Bans Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass Exports

India has banned exports of lithium-ion battery black mass to strengthen domestic recycling and critical mineral recovery, an official statement said on Wednesday.

Black mass is the powdery material obtained from shredding end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing waste. It contains recoverable quantities of critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and



manganese.

"DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) prohibits export of Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass to strengthen domestic recycling and critical mineral recovery," the commerce ministry said.

Critical minerals are essential inputs for electric mobility, advanced chemistry cell batteries, energy storage, electronics and renewable energy. India depends substantially on imports for several of these minerals, it added.