Building a self-sufficient critical minerals ecosystem

Hindustan Times

2 hours ago

India's transition to a sustainable, high-tech economy is inextricably tied to the availability of critical minerals, materials indispensable for renewable energy, electric mobility, semiconductors, and national defense. The global supply chains for these minerals are increasingly strained by geopolitical tensions, environmental concerns, and surging demand. FILE - Refined tellurium is displayed at the Rio Tinto Kennecott refinery, May 11, 2022, in Magna, Utah. The world has enough rare earth minerals and other critical raw materials to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy to produce electricity and limit global warming, according to a new study that counters concerns about the supply of such minerals. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)(AP)
India's dependency on imports for critical minerals and their processing equipment is a systemic vulnerability. Strategic sectors such as semiconductors, green hydrogen, electric mobility, and defence highly depend on secure and sustainable access to these resources. The National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM) recognises this need and identifies key challenges in India's current capabilities:
Lack of indigenous capital equipment for extractive metallurgy
Limited domestic recycling infrastructure for high-value end-of-life products
Insufficient integration between research, process development, and commercialisation
Addressing these bottlenecks requires a coordinated national effort, with academic institutions, industry stakeholders, and policymakers working in tandem. India has a strong foundation in materials science and process development, supported by decades of work from national laboratories and research groups. These efforts have laid the groundwork for deeper innovation in critical mineral extraction and processing.
The NCMM aims to make a self-reliant production ecosystem that spans the entire value chain, from raw ores to refined materials, delivered at industrial scale. But achieving this vision remains an ongoing challenge. These critical materials are foundational to strategic sectors such as semiconductors, green hydrogen, green mobility, and renewable energy, all of which require a robust and indigenous technology ecosystem to ensure national resilience and sustainability.
However, a significant challenge facing many Indian technology initiatives is the commercialisation gap, particularly in the domain of capital equipment and high-end machinery required to scale up lab-level technologies. India remains heavily dependent on imports for extractive metallurgy equipment, smelters, and advanced mineral processing systems. This dependence severely limits the ability to commercialize and scale domestic technologies.
A similar scenario is observed in the lithium-ion battery manufacturing ecosystem, where most cell fabrication and recycling equipment are still imported. While the Government of India is now investing in indigenising such equipment, these capabilities cannot be built overnight. Equipment development must go hand-in-hand with early-stage R&D investments in battery materials.
India continues to rely on imported equipment for key mineral processing operations, electrostatic separators, magnetic separators, analytical tools, and extractive metallurgical units. In several cases, import restrictions on sensitive or large-scale systems further limit access, thereby hindering domestic technology translation and industrial deployment.
To bridge this gap, certain institutions have been recognized by central ministries as focal points for capital equipment development, driven by their longstanding work in materials science, process chemistry, and modular engineering design. The lack of indigenous equipment capability has also contributed to the export of valuable intermediate resources like black mass from used batteries, highlighting the urgent need for in-country refining and recovery solutions.
Beyond equipment, the ecosystem must also include domestic capabilities in specialty process chemicals used throughout the mineral processing chain. There is a growing focus on building this extensive ecosystem, one that spans chemical inputs, machinery, modular plant designs, and supply chain integration. Tapping into the expertise of small and specialised industries will be key to commercialising many of the materials listed under NCMM and ensuring consistent domestic supply.
Industrial collaborations are already beginning to emerge in support of this ecosystem-building effort. A proposal is underway to establish a TRL 7/8 pilot-scale facility that can serve as a national technology hub for the design, development, and integration of capital equipment. Such a facility could provide standardized blueprints for plant setup, process flow, and materials integration, which are critical components for building a self-reliant critical minerals value chain by 2047.
This kind of platform can also act as a collaborative node, bringing together other academic institutions, research bodies, and private players. Strengthening such alliances is essential to accelerate innovation, bridge the research-to-commercialisation gap, and ensure strategic readiness in sectors dependent on critical minerals.
India is currently making major R&D investments across strategic sectors. However, many of these initiatives continue to face limited industrial adoption due to weak linkages between academia and industry. Developing indigenous process technologies and engineering capabilities has now turned into a national priority. A modular, collaborative approach can help India build a resilient critical minerals ecosystem for the future, grounded in early-stage innovation and supported by strong public-private partnerships.
This article is authored by Omprakash Subbarao, chief executive, CORE Labs, FSID.