# Centre bans export of lithium-ion battery 'black mass' to feed domestic recyclers

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-12/black-mass-export-ban-dgft/
Date: 12 November 2026 (2026-11-12)
Source: Indian Express, Page 5
UPSC papers: GS3
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** India has stopped the export of black mass, the metal-rich powder from shredded lithium-ion batteries, so that its recyclers can recover lithium, cobalt and nickel at home.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Commerce Ministry, issued a notification late on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, changing the export policy for ITC (HS) code 85491400 from 'Free' to 'Prohibited' with immediate effect, until further orders. The code covers unsorted waste and scrap of primary cells, primary batteries and electric accumulators, including spent ones, that do not contain lead, cadmium or mercury. The notification identifies this as lithium-ion battery 'black mass'. The change was made under Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, and the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023, with the transitional arrangements of paragraph 1.05 of the policy applying. It is not a ban on all batteries or battery material.

Black mass is the dark powder left after end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing waste are shredded. It contains lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite, which recyclers can recover, for example through hydrometallurgy (dissolving metals in chemical solutions and separating them). The government's reasoning, as reported, is that Indian recycling capacity is underused because it lacks feedstock, and that some recyclers have had to import scrap while Indian black mass went abroad. It expects more domestic processing, investment and jobs, and lower import dependence for batteries, electric vehicles and energy storage.

The ban fits the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), approved in January 2025, and its ₹1,500 crore recycling incentive scheme, approved on 3 September 2025, which aims for at least 270 kilo tonnes a year of recycling capacity and supports units that actually extract critical minerals, not those that only make black mass. Ajay Srivastava of the Global Trade Research Initiative said India has more black mass processing capacity than it generates and recorded no exports under this line in 2025-26, so the ban mainly shuts a future leak. He warned that exporters could try to declare black mass as cobalt powder or a nickel intermediate, so enforcement will depend on Customs checks.

## Prelims facts

- DGFT moved ITC (HS) 85491400, lithium-ion battery black mass, from 'Free' to 'Prohibited' for export with immediate effect, by a notification issued on 10 November 2026.
- The legal basis is Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, and the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023.
- Black mass is shredded end-of-life battery material containing lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite.
- The ₹1,500 crore critical mineral recycling scheme (approved 3 September 2025, FY 2025-26 to 2030-31) targets at least 270 kilo tonnes a year of recycling capacity under the NCMM.
- GTRI says India recorded no exports under this line in 2025-26 and has more processing capacity than black mass generation.

## Quick recall

- **Which body changed the export policy for lithium-ion battery black mass?** The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- **ITC (HS) code for the banned battery waste?** 85491400.
- **Export policy change made on 10 November 2026?** From 'Free' to 'Prohibited', with immediate effect, until further orders.
- **Law under which DGFT made the change?** Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, with the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023.
- **What metals does black mass contain?** Lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite.
- **Outlay and period of the critical mineral recycling scheme?** ₹1,500 crore, FY 2025-26 to FY 2030-31 (approved 3 September 2025).
- **Capacity target of the recycling scheme?** At least 270 kilo tonnes a year of recycling capacity, about 40 kilo tonnes a year of critical minerals.
- **Who warned of mis-declaration of black mass as cobalt powder?** Ajay Srivastava of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).

## Prelims practice question

'Black mass', recently in the news, refers to:

(a) A residue of coal washeries used in brick making
(b) Powder obtained by shredding spent lithium-ion batteries, rich in metals such as cobalt and nickel
(c) Carbon black produced from waste tyres by pyrolysis
(d) Sludge from common effluent treatment plants used as fuel

Answer: (b) Powder obtained by shredding spent lithium-ion batteries, rich in metals such as cobalt and nickel. Black mass is the powder produced by shredding end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing waste. It contains lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite. DGFT prohibited its export on 10 November 2026.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Prelims 2025, Prelims: Consider the following statements: I. India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member. II. India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified. III. The Parliament in 2023 has amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowering the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite license for certain critical minerals. Which of the statements given above are correct? (a) I and II only (b) II and III only (c) I and III only (d) I, II and III (https://upsc.help/pyq/q072-consider-following-statements-i-india-has-joined/)
- UPSC Mains 2025, GS3: Mineral resources are fundamental to the country's economy and these are exploited by mining. Why is mining considered an environmental hazard? Explain the remedial measures required to reduce the environmental hazard due to mining. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q096-mineral-resources-fundamental-country-s-economy-these/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use battery recycling as a remedial measure that cuts the demand for new mining, closing the answer with a circular-economy approach.

## Mains practice question

India has prohibited the export of lithium-ion battery black mass. Discuss the role of battery recycling in securing critical minerals and the challenges in building a domestic recycling ecosystem. (250 words)

### Model answer

On 10 November 2026 the DGFT moved lithium-ion battery black mass (ITC HS 85491400) from 'Free' to 'Prohibited' for export, to keep critical-mineral feedstock for Indian recyclers.

## Why recycling matters for critical minerals
- Black mass holds lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite, which India largely imports.
- Recycling is a near-term source while new mines and overseas assets take years.
- The National Critical Mineral Mission (January 2025) covers the chain from exploration to recycling.
- The ₹1,500 crore recycling scheme (3 September 2025) targets at least 270 kilo tonnes a year of capacity and supports units that extract minerals, not just shred batteries.
- Keeping material at home reduces landfilling and hazardous leakage, supporting the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, which rest on extended producer responsibility.

## Challenges
- **Feedstock**: domestic capacity is underused because collection of spent batteries is weak.
- **Enforcement**: GTRI warns black mass may be mis-declared as cobalt powder or nickel intermediate.
- **Technology**: refining to battery-grade salts needs hydrometallurgy skills and capital.
- **Informal sector**: much e-waste is still handled informally, with health and pollution risks.
- **Trade signals**: export bans can deter investment if they look unpredictable.

## Way forward
- Strengthen collection under EPR and traceability of battery packs.
- Use Customs risk profiling for look-alike exports.
- Pair the ban with capex support for refining.
- Set purity standards so recovered metals can re-enter cell making.

The ban is a useful signal, but secure supply will come from a working collection-to-refining chain, not from trade rules alone.

## The basics

## Why this matters
Electric vehicles, phone batteries and grid storage all depend on lithium, cobalt and nickel, minerals India mostly imports. Every spent battery is a small store of these metals. The export ban on black mass is a bet that India can mine its own waste.

## What black mass is
When a used lithium-ion battery is discharged, dismantled and shredded, the plastic and metal casings are separated out. What remains is a fine dark powder from the electrodes. That powder is Black mass and battery recycling's central product.

## From battery to new metal
Shredding alone does not give usable metal. Recovery needs chemical refining, usually hydrometallurgy, where metals are dissolved in solutions and separated, or pyrometallurgy, where they are smelted at high temperature.

## The policy logic
The government's view is that Indian refiners were short of feedstock while black mass could be sold abroad. GTRI's Ajay Srivastava says India has more processing capacity than it generates. So the ban is meant to keep the powder at home for the refining step, the step the Critical mineral recycling incentive scheme pays for.

## The wider frame
The ban sits inside the National Critical Mineral Mission, which covers exploration, overseas assets and recycling, and alongside the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, which make producers responsible for collecting spent batteries. Without strong collection, a ban on exports cannot create feedstock that is never gathered in the first place.

## Sources

- https://www.business-standard.com/amp/industry/news/govt-bans-lithium-ion-battery-black-mass-exports-to-aid-domestic-recyclers-126111101149_1.html
- https://aninews.in/news/business/govt-bans-export-of-specified-lithium-ion-battery-waste-and-scrap-with-immediate-effect20261111110842/
- https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/govt-bans-lithium-ion-battery-black-mass-exports-to-boost-domestic-critical-mineral-recycling
- https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/cabinet-approves-rs-1500-crore-incentive-scheme-to-promote-critical-mineral-recycling-in-the-country/
- https://ncaacademy.com/lithium-ion-battery-black-mass-export-ban/