CSIR-IMMT entered into a R&D agreement with HCL to explore the recovery of critical minerals
CSIR-IMMT and Hindustan Copper Limited launch collaborative project for Copper, REE and trace critical minerals recovery from copper industry resources
Bhubaneswar, :The CSIR–Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) has entered into a research and development agreement with Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) to explore the recovery of critical minerals including Rare Earth Elements, Trace Elements and Copper from Copper Ores, Concentrates, and Tailings.
The project was formally launched today at theHCL Corporate Office, Kolkata with the exchange of signed project agreements between both organisations. The launch event was presided over by Shri Sanjiv Kumar Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, HCL, Shri RVN Vishweshwar, Director (Finance) and Shri Sanjeev Kumar Sinha Director (Operations), and Dr Ramanuj Narayan, Director CSIR-IMMT. The event was coordinated by Shri Binod Gupta Executive Director (Mining)from HCL and Dr Kali Sanjay, Chief Scientist and Head, Business Development and CSIR-IMMT Centre of Excellence from CSIR-IMMT.
The growth of green technologies such as EVs, wind turbines, and other applications such as electronics etc. require both commercial mineral such as copper and critical minerals including REEs. With global supply chains concentrated, recovering these critical minerals from copper ores and wastes offers a strategic domestic resource to strengthen critical minerals security.
HCL, a Miniratna PSU, under the aegis ofMinistry of Mines, is engaged in mining, production, processing and marketing of copperand related products. HCL is currently focusing on mining and beneficiation of copperore and selling of copper concentrate. The CSIR–Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT), Bhubaneswar, is India’s premier R&D institution dedicated to mineral processing, extractive metallurgy, materials development, and critical minerals recovery. The institute hosts the Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals under the National Centre for Minerals and Materials (NCMM), which brings together academia, R&D laboratories, and industry to develop indigenous technologies and pilot-scale solutions for securing India’s critical mineral value chains. HCL is a key industrial spoke of this Centre of Excellence, facilitating industry-driven research.
Under this initiative, CSIR-IMMT will undertake detailed characterisation studies and develop feasibility pathways for the extraction of copper, rare earths and associated critical elements from diverse copper industry materials. The project aims to establish scientific insights into mineral occurrence, assess viability of recovery, and generate a roadmap for process development at pilot scale.
