OUR HYBRID HYDROMETALLURGY PROCESS EXTRACTS ELEMENTAL COMPOUNDS WITH 1/10TH THE CARBON FOOTPRINT

MiniMines’ Founding Director, Anupam Kumar, and CTO and Director, Arvind Bhardwaj, candidly discusses their shared passion for recycling batteries, inception of their dream venture, their patented eco-friendly process HybridHydrometallurgy, upcoming initiatives, and expansion plans in an interview with Nisha Shukla.

- Nisha Shukla

What motivated you to come up with your patented battery recycling mechanism- Hybrid-Hydrometallurgy. What sets this technology apart from other conventional methods?

Anupam Kumar: Both me and Arvind are seasoned researchers in the realm of nanomaterials, chemical engineering, and energy storage devices, and we have traversed a remarkable journey in the field for over eight years. Arvind, with a wealth of experience in energy storage devices and chemical extraction, had earned his stripes working on different projects at CSIR-NCL Pune, US Navy-ONRG-Singapore. His tasks involved working on drug development, early detection of malaria, and developing anti-corrosive coatings for naval warships, showcasing his prowess in the intricate domain of materials science.

After the successful product development, Arvind assumed leadership of the R&D department for energy storage and subsequently held the position of AVPR&D at Log9 Materials. During his tenure, he worked on metal-air batteries, supercapacitors, and lithium-ion batteries. This invaluable expertise came in handy for extracting materials, developing chemical processes, and formulating chemistry tailored for li-ion batteries.

Meanwhile, I embarked on my professional journey at the prestigious Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). There, I researched extensively on extracting uranium metal from the washing liquor of atomic reactors, a task that demanded precision and ingenuity. Eventually, I landed up at Log9 Materials, and contributed to the development of cleanup technology products and business development. Notably, my curiosity and constant urge to innovate led to the creation of a high-efficiency oil sorbent, crucially deployed in mitigating the Mauritius oil spill disaster by the coastguard.