Chennai — Sriperumbudur Recovery Campus
Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu facility: hydrometallurgical refinery converting black mass into battery-grade lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese salts. Rated at 32,000 tonnes per annum and operating since 2018.
Annual capacity
32,000 TPA
Operating lines
3
Cities collected
10
In operation since
2018
About the Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu facility
Sriperumbudur and the wider Chennai corridor host one of India's heaviest concentrations of vehicle assembly, electronics manufacturing and export logistics. The refinery opened in the Mahindra World City SEZ in 2018, making it the network's longest-running Indian refining site, and at 32,000 TPA it remains the largest. Its location puts it within reach of both southern manufacturing clusters and Chennai's port.
As a hydrometallurgical refinery it receives black mass rather than packs. Feed arrives from the network's Indian campuses and grading sites and from registered third-party shredders, and leaves as battery-grade nickel sulphate, cobalt sulphate and lithium carbonate. Because it has been running the longest, the site holds the network's deepest assay history for the LFP and NMC chemistries common in Indian vehicles.
What arrives at the gate
What sets this site apart
Longest operating record
Running since 2018, the refinery has the most complete assay history for Indian feed chemistries anywhere in the network.
Port-adjacent logistics
Proximity to Chennai port simplifies moving refined salts and permitted intermediates in and out of the country.
Batch-level certification
Every output batch ships with an analysis certificate and mass balance that producers can use in their EPR reporting.
What happens to material here
- 1
Feed assay & sampling
Incoming black mass is homogenised and assayed by ICP-OES for Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Cu, Al and fluoride before it is released to leach.
- 2
Sulphuric acid leaching
Two-stage leach at 60–85 °C with peroxide reductant dissolves cathode metals at 96–99% extraction efficiency.
- 3
Impurity removal
Iron, aluminium and copper are precipitated and filtered; graphite is recovered as a separate low-ash cake.
- 4
Solvent extraction trains
Sequential Co, Ni and Mn circuits with counter-current mixer-settlers deliver individual metal raffinates.
- 5
Crystallisation & drying
Nickel and cobalt sulphate hexahydrate plus lithium carbonate are crystallised to 99.5%+ battery grade and bagged under nitrogen.
- 6
Batch certification
Every batch ships with a certificate of analysis, mass balance and chain-of-custody record for EPR and IRA reporting.
Where material goes next
| Role | Facility | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cell Grading & Diagnostics | Bengaluru — Hosur Diagnostics Centre | 230 km |
| Second-Life BESS Works | Nagpur — Butibori Second-Life Works | 893 km |
| Integrated Recovery Campus | Hyderabad — Zaheerabad Recovery Campus | 581 km |
Local rules
Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 (BWMR) · Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards
The refinery is permitted by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, with effluent, air emission and hazardous-chemical conditions typical of acid-leaching plants. As a registered recycler under the Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, it generates the recovery evidence that producers file on the CPCB EPR portal. Its SEZ location adds customs controls on any imported feed or exported product.
Before you book into Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
- Whole packs are not accepted; route them through a grading or integrated campus first and the black mass will follow.
- Black mass must arrive in sealed, labelled bulk bags with an assay report or at least a declared chemistry.
- Deliveries are scheduled against SEZ gate windows, and imported material needs customs paperwork before arrival.
- Moisture above the agreed limit is recorded at the weighbridge and reflected in settlement.
Damaged or defective packs are handled under a separate quarantine protocol — flag them in the form and the team calls you back the same day.
Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu site: common questions
Can I send whole EV packs to Sriperumbudur?
No. The refinery takes black mass and cathode scrap only. Whole packs go to a collection, grading or integrated campus, which produces the black mass this site refines.
What does the refinery produce?
Battery-grade nickel sulphate, cobalt sulphate and lithium carbonate, each batch issued with an analysis certificate and mass balance.
What are the opening hours at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu?
Monday to Friday 08:00 – 20:00, Saturday 08:00 – 16:00. Sunday: emergency and damaged-pack intake only, by prior booking.
How do I book a collection into Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu?
Use the booking button on this page with pack counts, chemistry and condition. The despatch desk confirms a window within one working day and ships UN-approved packaging before collection.