Archive · 12 Aug 2026
MiniMines Cleantech Secures Patent for Hybrid Hydrometallurgy Technology
A company in Bengaluru, India called MiniMines Cleantech Solutions invented a special new way to recycle old batteries and electronic waste.
The method is called Hybrid Hydrometallurgy.
Old batteries contain valuable materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel that can be taken out and used again.
The clever part is that this method works on any battery, no matter its size, shape, or what it is made of.
It can recover materials that are almost 100 percent pure.
This is good for the environment because fewer materials get thrown away.
It also helps India depend less on other countries for important minerals.
The company has already started using this technology at its own recycling facility.
Company leader Arvind Bhardwaj says this will help India move toward a circular economy where materials are reused instead of wasted.
MiniMines Cleantech Solutions has secured an Indian patent for its proprietary Hybrid Hydrometallurgy (HHMR) technology.
The patented process recovers critical minerals from lithium-ion batteries and electronic waste irrespective of chemical composition, size, or shape.
It enables recovery of high-purity materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, aluminium, copper, and spherical graphite.
Spherical graphite can be recovered with up to 99 per cent purity while maintaining a low environmental footprint.
The technology is already deployed and validated at MiniMines' commercial facility in Bengaluru.
- Who
- MiniMines Cleantech Solutions, a Bengaluru-based clean technology startup, and its Co-founder and CTO Arvind Bhardwaj.
- What
- Secured a patent from the Indian Patent Office for its Hybrid Hydrometallurgy (HHMR) technology that recovers critical minerals from lithium-ion batteries and electronic waste.
- When
- The announcement was made on Wednesday; the patent was granted by the Indian Patent Office.
- Where
- India; the company's commercial facility where the technology is deployed is in Bengaluru.
- Why
- To strengthen India's resource security, support sustainable battery recycling, and accelerate the transition toward a circular economy.
- Company
- MiniMines Cleantech Solutions
- Patent
- Hybrid Hydrometallurgy (HHMR) technology
- Granting Authority
- Indian Patent Office
- Recovered Materials
- Lithium, cobalt, manganese, aluminium, copper, nickel, spherical graphite
- Maximum Purity
- Up to 99 per cent (spherical graphite)
- Feedstock
- End-of-life lithium-ion batteries and electronic waste
- Headquarters
- Bengaluru, India
- Status
- Deployed and validated at commercial facility