India has reportedly banned exports of lithium ion battery black mass in a move aimed at strengthening domestic recycling capabilities to recover critical minerals.

The government’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced the ban on November 11, according to reports by media organisations including the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The Directorate General, part of the commerce and industry ministry, said India depends substantially on imports for a number of minerals and the ban will increase domestic recovery of lithium, cobalt, nickel and other critical minerals, reducing the need for imports.

According to the directorate, part of the commerce and industry ministry, while the country’s capacity to recycle battery waste and refine critical minerals has grown considerably, it is not being fully utilised due to inadequate feedstock availability.

Exports of black mass generated in India divert this valuable secondary resource abroad, and domestic recyclers have, in some cases, had to import material to meet their requirements.

Recycling battery waste is among the quickest and most sustainable ways of developing a domestic supply of these resources to power the nation’s electric mobility, advanced chemistry cell batteries, energy storage, electronics and renewable energy, the directorate said.

The directorate has yet to respond to a Batteries International request for details of the ban and an estimate of the quantity of black mass involved.

Meanwhile, India has been urged to introduce tighter regulation of battery dealers, mandatory reporting of spent battery collections and regular audits of authorised recycling facilities.

The call came from L Pugazhenthy, executive director of the India Lead Zinc Development Association, at the 10th International Secondary Lead Conference in Colombo last month.