Frequently Asked Questions

Headquartered in Vadodara, India, Rubamin operates major recycling complexes in Halol and Nandesari, Gujarat. Rubamin's recycling facilities can process approximately 80,000 metric tons of hazardous industrial waste annually, converting waste streams into valuable metal compounds through environmentally responsible processes.

Our operations are organised into two strategic business units-Zinc Recycling and Cleantech, which includes spent catalyst and lithium-ion battery recycling. Rubamin Zynk^® is the company's flagship recycling business, and we are one of the most versatile producers of zinc compounds globally. Rubamin maintains a global presence through strategic partnerships across the USA, Europe, and Asia by manufacturing and exporting value-added metal compounds worldwide.

Rubamin, incorporated in 1987, is a globally respected name in metals recycling, built on over four decades of metallurgical expertise and sustainable innovation. Today, Rubamin Zynk^® stands as one of the most versatile producers of zinc compounds globally, with over 30,000 tons of annual processing capacity across three manufacturing locations in Gujarat, India.

Since 2011, Rubamin has been engaged in catalyst recycling and is now globally recognized for recycling a full spectrum of critical metals, leveraging advanced hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical technologies. The company is amongst the world's leading recyclers of spent catalysts from oil refineries, recovering valuable metals such as molybdenum, vanadium, and tungsten from 35,000 tons of hazardous catalyst waste.

Leveraging its hydrometallurgical expertise, Rubamin has expanded into Lithium-Ion battery recycling, recovering critical minerals including lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, and aluminum, from 10,000 tons of battery waste supporting the global clean energy transition.

With a strong ESG foundation, 300+ global customers and an 80-acre Green Recycling Complex in Halol, Gujarat, Rubamin is building circular supply chains that reduce import dependence and contribute to India's carbon-neutral future.

Rubamin is one of the most versatile Zinc compound manufacturers globally. We process over 30,000 TPA of Zinc Dross and Ash, with a total production capacity of 50,000 TPA of various Zinc compounds. Our French Process unit at Halol is notably the only WHO-GMP certified facility of its kind in India. Quality and compliance are paramount in every process.

Our ZYNK^® portfolio has a strong recall of brands like ZINCOLLIED^®, ZynkFeed^®, Acti.Z^®, ZYNKO3^™, ScavenZink^™, AgrowZed^™, FireSafe^®, ZnPure^™ and Zynk.SP^® having 35 SKUs and many more customized sub-variants. Rubamin Zynk^® caters to diverse industries and multiple applications including Tyres, Ceramics, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics & Skincare, Human & Animal Nutrition, Agriculture, Plastics, Rubber & Footwear, Oil & Gas, Electronics & Power, Wood & Water Treatment, Paints & Coatings, etc.

Rubamin is the only Zinc recycling company in the world that uniquely combines French, Chemical, and Calcination technologies in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner. Our factories deploy these technologies to recycle secondary Zinc inputs arising out of steel galvanizing and gas refining processes. Our manufacturing units are designed to be symbiotically complementary. This means our facilities work together efficiently to maximize waste minimization and ensure strict compliance with environmental regulations.

All products manufactured in our factories are REACH registered and SVHC tested to align with strict global quality standards. All processes are engineered to be compatible with internationally recognized application specific certifications and registrations.

Rubamin processes over 30,000 TPA of zinc dross and zinc ash and has a total capacity of 50,000 TPA of zinc compounds, using French, chemical and calcination processes. Its ZYNK^® range serves more than 100 customers globally. See the zinc recycling page.

Rubamin operates India's largest spent catalyst recycling ecosystem with a processing capacity of 35,000 MT per annum. We process catalysts from oil refineries, petrochemicals, and fertilizer industries (including hydro-processing and FCC catalysts). Using indigenous and proprietary hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical technologies, we recover valuable metals like Molybdenum, Vanadium, Tungsten, Nickel, and Cobalt with high recovery yields while maintaining Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) status.

Spent refinery catalysts are hazardous waste that either goes to landfill or, in the circular route, to specialist recyclers. They are roasted to remove oil, sulphur and carbon, then processed to recover molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, cobalt and tungsten, which can be supplied back to catalyst manufacturers. See Rubamin's spent catalyst recycling process.

The catalyst is first roasted, then leached to bring the metals into solution. Molybdenum and vanadium are separated by solvent extraction or selective precipitation and converted into pure metal compounds. Rubamin uses patented fluidized bed roasting and proprietary hydrometallurgy with zero liquid discharge.

Hydrometallurgical recycling uses water-based chemistry such as leaching, solvent extraction and precipitation to dissolve and separate metals from waste. Compared with high-temperature smelting, it can deliver higher purity and recover lithium, which smelting often loses. It is the core technology behind Rubamin's operations.

Rubamin operates India's largest lithium-ion battery recycling facility with a battery shredding capacity of 10,000 MT per annum and black mass processing of 7,500 MT per annum. We are a certified R4 Recyclers, meaning we provide a fully integrated solution- right from battery collection, logistics, discharging, dismantling, inert shredding to chemical refining.

We utilize advanced hydrometallurgy to achieve industry-leading recovery rates (>90% for key metals) and strictly adhere to Battery Waste Management Rules for providing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) certificates and credits. We provide e-waste certificates from authorized recycling channels.

Blackmass processed by Rubamin gets refined to high-purity industrial and technical grade metallic compounds of Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, and Manganese. By manufacturing critical metal compounds which are used in various industrial applications Rubamin is moving towards a circular economy and a sustainable future for India's critical metal needs.

India's lithium-ion battery recycling sector includes Rubamin, Attero, Lohum and Gravita, among others. Rubamin operates a battery shredding and black mass refining facility at Halol, Gujarat, with 10,000 MT per annum of shredding capacity, and integrates collection, inert shredding and hydrometallurgical refining under one roof.

Black mass recycling is the process of recovering lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and other metals from black mass, the dark powder produced when end-of-life lithium-ion batteries are discharged, dismantled and shredded. The powder is chemically refined into high-purity metal compounds that can return to the battery and industrial supply chain.

Black mass is typically dissolved in a leaching step, purified to remove impurities, and then separated into individual metals by solvent extraction and precipitation or crystallisation. Rubamin uses zero-waste hydrometallurgy with solvent extraction to produce industrial and technical grade compounds of lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.

Companies active in lithium-ion battery recycling in India include Rubamin (Halol, Gujarat), Attero (Uttarakhand), Lohum and Gravita (Mundra, Gujarat). Capabilities differ: some produce black mass only, while Rubamin also refines black mass into metal compounds domestically and supports EPR compliance.

Battery shredding is the mechanical, front-end step that dismantles cells and separates black mass from copper, aluminium and plastics. Black mass refining is the chemical, back-end step that extracts and purifies lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese from that powder. Shredding alone does not recover battery-grade metals.

Lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, aluminium and graphite can be recovered from lithium-ion batteries. Rubamin's battery recycling programme targets lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper and graphite, with more than 90% minimum recovery of elements across its business units.

Rubamin's lithium-ion battery recycling plant is in Halol, Gujarat, India, within its Green Recycling Complex. It was commissioned in Q1 2025. The company is headquartered in Vadodara, Gujarat, and also operates a recycling site at Nandesari.

Rubamin's battery recycling facility has a shredding capacity of 10,000 MT per annum and black mass processing capacity of 7,500 MT per annum, according to the company. The process is designed for zero solid waste and zero liquid discharge.

We recover a wide portfolio of critical metals essential for the energy transition, including Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, Molybdenum, Vanadium, Tungsten, Zinc, Copper and Aluminum. By producing these high-purity metal compounds domestically, Rubamin reduces India's import reliance and strengthens supply chain for cell manufacturing, defense, electronics, e-mobility, and renewable energy sectors.

We lead the industry through a "Power of Zero" vision-zero waste, zero liquid discharge (ZLD), and a goal of zero fossil energy.

• Renewable Energy: Our plant is powered by 50% renewable energy (Wind-Solar hybrid). We have a 1.1 MW floating solar lake on a 5-acre surface.
• Safety Standards: We follow the DSS+ (formerly DuPont Sustainable Solutions) safety framework, the gold standard for achieving zero-incident operations.
• Digitalization: Our facility is an Industry 4.0 Smart Factory, utilizing AI/ML-driven automation and a Digital Control Center to optimize yields and minimize environmental impact.
• Transparency: Our sustainability claims are backed by independent third-party reviewed reports and global frameworks like CDP and EcoVadis.

Sustainability is the corner stone of our operations and Rubamin is committed to multiple industry first initiatives like - DuPont safety systems, renewable energy transition (50% processes run on renewable energy), waste heat recovery systems, fresh-water reduction (no river water, only 5 acre rain water harvested lake is used in our recycling processes), ISO certifications (ISO-9001,ISO-14001,ISO-27001,ISO-45001,ISO-50001) and formal publication of independently audited Sustainability Report released every year since 2023.

Our processes at Halol plant are 100% zero-waste and we follow the "Power of Zero" philosophy.

Rubamin offers a unique combination of scale, technological innovation and environmental compliance. With 25+ years of specialized hydrometallurgy expertise, we provide a secure, traceable, and legally compliant solution for processing hazardous waste. Rubamin converts industrial waste and end-of-life materials into reusable metals, reducing landfill disposal, lowering reliance on virgin mining, and enabling circular supply chains for critical minerals.

By turning environmental liabilities into sustainable assets, we help our partners achieve their decarbonization and ESG goals while ensuring full regulatory peace of mind.