Lithium-Ion Battery
Also called: LiB, Li-ion battery · Topic: Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A lithium-ion battery (LiB) is a rechargeable battery. When it charges and discharges, lithium ions (charged particles of lithium) move back and forth between its two ends, called electrodes. It powers phones, laptops and electric vehicles (EVs), and it is used to store power for the grid. LiBs matter because they contain critical minerals (minerals that are vital but have risky supply), such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. India imports most of these, and China dominates their processing. When a battery reaches its end of life (EoL), meaning it is no longer useful, its metals can be recovered by recycling. This makes old batteries a domestic source of minerals instead of just waste.
Example
In September 2025, the Union Cabinet approved the ₹1,500 crore Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling, run by the Ministry of Mines. It aims to create 3 lakh tonnes a year of recycling capacity. Spent LiBs are one of its main inputs. The scheme helps recyclers recover lithium, nickel and cobalt from old EV and phone batteries.
Don't confuse with
- Black mass: this is the shredded powder made from old LiBs. It is a halfway product of recycling that is later refined into metals. It is not the battery itself.
- Sodium-ion battery: this is a different battery chemistry that uses sodium in place of lithium. It needs less lithium, but it contains less valuable metal to recover.