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India bans export of lithium-ion battery black mass
ଖବରରେ କାହିଁକି?
Lithium, cobalt, nickel in a powder: why DGFT's black mass export ban matters for GS3 critical minerals
DGFT bans export of black mass to support domestic battery recycling.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 ମିନିଟ
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has prohibited the export of lithium-ion battery waste and scrap that contains black mass.
Black mass is the powdered mixture recovered during battery recycling and carries metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.
The ban is meant to keep these materials in the country to support domestic recycling and critical mineral recovery.
ଉତ୍ସ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ମୁଖ୍ୟ ତଥ୍ୟ
Remember these
- DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) has prohibited export of lithium-ion battery waste and scrap containing black mass
- Black mass is the powdered mixture recovered during battery recycling
- It carries metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel
- The ban aims to keep materials in India to support domestic recycling and critical mineral recovery
- DGFT functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and notifies export-import policy
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ · ମେନ୍ସ
How the exam will ask it
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ
- Black mass is a metal-rich powder obtained from shredding and processing spent lithium-ion batteries.
- Black mass contains lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, which can be recovered through hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processes.
- Export prohibitions on goods are notified by the DGFT under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.
ମେନ୍ସ
GS3 (Economy, Environment): India imports most battery minerals, while spent batteries are a domestic urban mine; exporting black mass sends this value abroad. The export ban, along with the Battery Waste Management Rules and extended producer responsibility, pushes recyclers to process material at home. Way forward: scale up recycling capacity and technology, ensure formal collection, and link recovered metals to the critical minerals mission and domestic cell manufacturing.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
India has prohibited the export of ‘black mass’, the powdered material recovered when which of the following is recycled?
- Lithium-ion batteries
- Lead-acid batteries
- Solar photovoltaic panels
- Printed circuit boards
ଉତ୍ତର ଦେଖନ୍ତୁ
ଉତ୍ତର: A — Correct: Lithium-ion batteries — black mass is the metal-rich powder recovered from recycled lithium-ion batteries, and DGFT barred its export to support domestic recycling. • Lead-acid batteries — wrong: lead-acid recycling yields lead plates and paste, not black mass; the ban concerns lithium-ion waste. • Solar photovoltaic panels — wrong: solar panel recycling recovers glass, silicon and silver; it does not produce black mass. • Printed circuit boards — wrong: circuit board recycling recovers copper and precious metals; black mass comes from lithium-ion batteries.
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