BENGALURU, 31 OCT 

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has been named a Centre of Excellence (CoE) under the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM), as announced by the Union Ministry of Mines. This mission, with a budget of Rs 16,300 crore, aims to bolster India's self-sufficiency in critical minerals vital for clean energy, defence, and advanced technologies.

The CoE at IISc will establish an Integrated Critical Minerals Research and Development Facility that encompasses the entire value chain from exploration and extraction to processing and recycling. "IISc will pioneer a greener lithium-ion battery recycling process, offering a sustainable alternative to the conventional black-mass route currently exported due to inefficient recovery systems," the institute stated.

Additionally, the facility aims to recycle platinum group elements (PGEs) from spent auto catalysts, targeting a recovery efficiency of up to 90 per cent. Omprakash Subbarao, CEO of FSID CORE at IISc, expressed, "This milestone marks a decisive step toward building India’s indigenous capabilities in the critical mineral value chain—from exploration to processing and recycling."