New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) E-waste recycling company Attero on Thursday announced a significant scale-up of its rare earth element (REE) recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes from 300 tonnes over the next 12 to 24 months by investing Rs 100 crore.

This expansion directly supports the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), launched by the government in 2025 to reduce import dependence and promote self-reliance in critical mineral supply chains, said the world’s most advanced recycler of lithium-ion batteries in a statement.

Rare earth metals such as Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), and Dysprosium (Dy) are essential to key sectors including electric vehicles, wind energy, and consumer electronics.

With the global REE market projected to reach $10.9 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 12.6 per cent, and REE magnets expected to exceed $30.3 billion by 2033, building indigenous recycling and extraction capabilities is now a national priority.

“Attero has consistently advocated for India’s self-reliance in critical minerals to reduce dependence on imports and counter China’s dominance in rare earth supply chains. We are proud to be the only Indian company with proven deep-tech and globally patented processes to refine black mass and recover rare earth elements with over 98 per cent efficiency and 99.9 per cent purity,” said Nitin Gupta, CEO and Co-founder of Attero.

The current global environment only reinforces the urgency of building domestic infrastructure.

“With our existing capability and technology leadership, we are ready to scale our REE recycling capacity from 1 to 100 tonnes per day to reach a total of 30,000 tonnes annually and explore further expansion as demand accelerates. We plan to invest Rs 100 crore towards this expansion,” Gupta added.

Attero’s patented technology enables the extraction of REEs from e-waste and end-of-life electronics such as hard disk drives, laptops, neckbands, and earphones; components that contain high concentrations of Nd, Pr, Ce, Gd, and Dy. The process is energy-efficient, cost-effective, and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional mining.

Attero also remains the only Indian company with the ability to refine black mass, a critical output from used lithium-ion batteries, into high-purity materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, reinforcing its position as a leader in the circular economy for critical metals.

In FY25, the company processed over 150,000 tonnes of e-waste and 15,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries annually and targeting a year-on-year growth of 100 per cent.

–IANS

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