Attero to invest INR 100 crore to scale rare earth recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes

Attero, an e-waste and lithium-ion battery recycling company, has announced an investment of INR 100 crore to increase its rare earth element (REE) recycling capacity from 300 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes over the next 12 to 24 months. This initiative aligns with the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), introduced by the Government of India in 2025, aimed at reducing import dependence and promoting domestic availability of critical minerals.

Rare earth elements such as Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), and Dysprosium (Dy) are used in sectors including electric mobility, wind energy, and electronics. According to industry estimates, the global REE market is projected to reach USD 10.9 billion by 2029, with REE magnets expected to grow to USD 30.3 billion by 2033. The development of domestic recycling and recovery infrastructure is identified as a key strategy under the NCMM.

“Attero has consistently advocated for India’s self-reliance in critical minerals to reduce dependence on imports and counter China’s dominance in rare earth supply chains. We are proud to be the only Indian company with proven deep-tech and globally patented processes to refine black mass and recover rare earth elements with over 98% efficiency and 99.9% purity. The current global environment only reinforces the urgency of building domestic infrastructure. With our existing capability and technology leadership, we are ready to scale our REE recycling capacity from 1 to 100 tonnes per day to reach a total of 30,000 tonnes annually and explore further expansion as demand accelerates. We plan to invest Rs. 100 crore towards this expansion,” said Mr. Nitin Gupta, CEO and Co-founder of Attero.

The company’s processes allow extraction of REEs from e-waste and end-of-life electronic products such as hard drives, laptops, and earphones. The technology is positioned as an alternative to conventional mining, with lower energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Attero also processes black mass from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, recovering materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. It currently holds 46 global patents in various jurisdictions including India, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, China, and Taiwan.

In FY25, Attero reported processing over 150,000 tonnes of e-waste and 15,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries. The company aims to increase these volumes to 415,000 tonnes and 50,000 tonnes respectively and has announced plans to expand internationally, including facilities in Europe and the United States.

Also read: We don’t sale black mass; we refine it with 98% efficiency to extract battery-grade materials: Nitin Gupta, Attero Recycling