India Prohibits Export of Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass

#GS-3 #Economy #Infrastructure #Environment #Science & Technology #Energy

Key takeaways

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) banned the export of Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass under ITC(HS) Code 85491400.
Black mass is a fine powder rich in critical metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel obtained from shredded old batteries.
The National Critical Mineral Mission supports local recovery with a ₹1,500 crore incentive package launched in September 2025.
The Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 set strict recycling duties to build a local circular economy for batteries.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) stopped the export of Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass right away.
The government changed the trade policy for ITC(HS) Code 85491400 from free to prohibited.
This step keeps the valuable material inside the country for local recycling plants.

Black mass is a dark, fine powder made from old lithium-ion batteries and factory scrap.
Workers safely discharge, take apart, and shred dead batteries to create this secondary ore.
It holds high-value critical metals inside a concentrated powder form.

Workers first discharge and shred old electric vehicle and industrial batteries safely to stop fires.
Mechanical machines separate plastics and useless metals using magnets and air currents.
The remaining mineral powder goes through chemical and heat processing to pull out clean lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

The powder holds useful amounts of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite.
It often contains more metals than natural raw ores dug straight from the earth.
The material is dangerous and reactive because it holds leftover chemicals that can catch fire.
The exact mix of minerals changes depending on whether the old battery used NMC, LCO, or LFP chemistry.

It turns messy battery waste into a clean, concentrated powder that factories can process easily.
This urban mining helps India stop digging up virgin soil and cuts down on environmental damage.
Recycled materials go straight to local advanced chemistry cell factories to build supply chain safety.
Keeping the scrap at home stops economic value from leaking to other countries.

DGFT Notification No. 49/2026-27 officially banned these exports to help local recycling companies.
The National Critical Mineral Mission backs a ₹1,500 crore incentive plan approved in September 2025.
The Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 force makers to follow extended producer responsibility and recycle old units.