UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Turning battery waste into strategic mineral wealth

Q1. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Wider adoption of sodium-ion batteries could reduce the dependence of battery manufacturing on imported lithium.
  2. Sodium-ion batteries generally have a lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q2. With reference to methods of recovering metals from spent lithium-ion batteries, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Pyrometallurgical recycling usually recovers lithium more completely than hydrometallurgical recycling, because lithium concentrates in the molten metal alloy.
  2. Hydrometallurgical recycling leaches metals from shredded black mass into aqueous solution and then separates them.
  3. 'Urban mining' refers to recovering metals from discarded products rather than from geological ore deposits.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q3. With reference to the circular economy as applied to batteries, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In a linear economy, products are discarded after use, so fresh demand for materials must be met largely through new extraction.
  2. Using retired electric-vehicle batteries for stationary energy storage before recycling them is consistent with circular economy principles.
  3. By substituting recovered materials for virgin ore, a circular battery economy can reduce the land, water and carbon costs of the energy transition.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q4. With reference to the Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling (2025), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Catalytic converters from end-of-life vehicles are an eligible feedstock, along with e-waste and spent lithium-ion batteries.
  2. Support is confined to a one-time capital subsidy, so a unit's output after commissioning does not affect the incentive it receives.
  3. The scheme is a component of the National Critical Mineral Mission, whose value chain covers recovery from end-of-life products.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The critical mineral recycling incentive scheme directs support to units that actually extract critical minerals, rather than to units engaged only in producing black mass.
  2. Black mass, the shredded output of battery pre-processing, is depleted of the battery's active cathode and anode materials.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct