As the industrial, electric and digital future of India is accelerating day by day, there is a need for revolution-one that transforms yesterday’s waste into tomorrow’s strategic future. Demand for critical metals like lithium, cobalt, Nickle continues to grow- by digging deeper into Earth- overloading the planet with waste. India is on another pace of transforming the waste into resource.
Thus, a growing realisation is: It’s time to mine our waste, and let’s not dig the Earth deeper.
The Future for Critical Metals
Critical methods as discussed above, lithium, Nickle, cobalt are hidden drivers of modern world- whether let’s take it to smartphones, electronic vehicles, renewable energy systems and defence systems- they are most essential ingredients. But driving out these resources deep within the Earth, often generates significant mechanical and industrial waste.
India is growing mountain of toxic technology trash, generating approximately 3 million of electronic waste every year. Therefore, the need of recycling and reusing this trash- is a survival strategy.
The Rise of Urban Mining
Mining of core metals deep down the Earth are always paired with a significant damage to environment like- deforestation, groundwater contamination and a heavy amount of industrial and mechanical waste.
This gives rise to Urban Mining- the practice of extracting valuable minerals from waste.
The amount of waste being processed Is just 1/3rd of the electronic waste being produced.
And here goes the emergence of technology like, robotic dismantling, AI powered sorting, sensor-based material recognition comes into existence.
These tools having high precision level are making recycling process more effective and efficient, enabling least damage to environment and a greener future for our planet.
Technology: Backbone of modern solution andsmarter system
Technology is steadily replacing traditional manual labour work across each and every industry, the same goes with the recycling industry. Here’s how technology is replacing hands on work:
• AI & Machine Vision: This technology waste sorting is becoming smarter, faster and more efficient.
• Robotic Dismantling: Accelerates dismantling while keeping people away from getting hurt with toxic parts.
• Hydrometallurgy and Bioleaching: Greener and cleaner alternative to traditional way of extracting valuable metals with least environmental cost.
• Digital tracking and Blockchain: Keeps a record of every move from collection to reuse.
Powering The Future: How Companies are redefining Resource Recovery
Indian startups with their innovation and game changing ideas are emerging in this field and shaping India’s greener future.
• Attero Recycling:
This venture is transforming electronic waste to recover precious and rare metals with minimum damage to environment.
• Recommerce X: They are big manufacturers of steel and plastic products from 100% recycled waste products.
• Recykal: Its is a digital platform which is bridging gap between waste generators, collectors, recyclers and brands.
These startups with their tech- Savy approach to sustainability are proving that smart business can be done while solving environmental issues. They are catching more traction both in market and policy circles.
Policy & Opportunity
Government rules and policies are gearing up the transition to reuse, recycle and regenerate. These strategies are a great support to this transformation.
1. Battery waste management Rules, 2022: Ensuring Companies that they should accompany product manufacturing with environment friendliness
2. E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022: this policy obligates the manufacturers to recycle a set percentage of e waste every year creating a centralized EPR portal.
3. National critical minerals mission 2023 : this policy is all about making India an independent country in terms of imports and promotes domestic exploration.
The Conclusion
India is a leading developing country and it is at a pivotal point where technology, industries are growing at a pace. Innovations like AI powered sorting, hydrometallurgical recovery and digital EPR platforms are allowing the country to recover valuable minerals like cobalt, nickel, lithium, from discarded devices. Various governmental policies are giving accelerated vision to recycling efforts and promotes funding for encouraging reduce, reuse and recycle.
