Hyderabad : In a significant step towards promoting resource recovery, sustainable manufacturing, and the circular economy, MISHRA DHATU NIGAM LIMITED (MIDHANI), Hyderabad under Ministry of Defence, HEAVY WATER BOARD (HWB), and BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE (BARC), Mumbai both under Department of Atomic Energy, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the production and recovery of cobalt and nickel from plant reverts on 27th October 2026.
This MoU establishes a framework for cooperation among the three organizations, leveraging their respective expertise, technological capabilities, and industrial resources to explore and implement efficient processes for recovering valuable metals from plant reverts. This initiative aims to maximise resource utilisation, reduce dependence on primary mineral resources, and promote environmentally responsible metal production.
Cobalt and nickel are critical metals widely used in advanced battery technologies, electric vehicles, stainless steels, superalloys, and other strategic industrial applications. Recovering these metals from plant reverts offers significant potential to strengthen domestic supply chains, improve resource efficiency, and support the growing demand for critical metals. By recovering cobalt and nickel from secondary sources, this collaboration seeks to unlock value from plant reverts that might otherwise remain under utilised and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable supply of critical metals.
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Speaking on the occasion, Dr. S V S Narayana Murty, Chairman & Managing Director, MIDHANI said, “The signing of this MoU marks an important milestone in our efforts to promote the recovery of critical metals from secondary resources. Through this collaboration, we aim to combine our strengths and develop viable, sustainable, and commercially competitive solutions for the production of cobalt and nickel from plant reverts.” The MoU was signed by Dr. S V S Narayana Murty, Chairman & Managing Director, MIDHANI, V.V.S.A. Prasad, Chairman and Chief Executive Heavy Water Board and Dr. Alok Awasthi, Associate Director, Materials Group, BARC. This event was also attended by Smt. K Madhubala, Director (Finance), MIDHANI and Sandeep Wadhwa, Executive Director, HWB.
These three organizations expressed confidence that the collaboration would create new opportunities in metal recovery and recycling, support the circular economy, and contribute to the long-term availability of critical raw materials for India’s growing industrial and clean-energy sectors.
