Lohum to Invest Rs 500 Mn in India’s First Rare Earth Refining Hub

17 Oct 2025 CW Team

Lohum, a leading critical mineral refining and processing company, has announced plans to invest Rs 500 million to establish India’s first rare earth refining hub. The project marks a key milestone in strengthening the nation’s critical minerals supply chain and advancing the government’s Critical Minerals Mission.

The upcoming facility will refine rare earth elements essential for electric mobility, advanced batteries, and green technologies—key materials used in EV motors, wind turbines, and high-performance electronics. By localising refining capabilities, Lohum aims to reduce India’s import dependence and promote self-reliance in strategic mineral processing.

Currently, Lohum recovers seven key metals—lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, aluminium, platinum group metals, and graphite—from end-of-life batteries and industrial waste, with an annual recycling capacity of 20,000 tonnes. The company plans to expand this capacity four to five times by 2029 to meet rising demand from the EV and battery sectors.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Mines and IIT Bombay, Lohum is also setting up two Centres of Excellence (CoEs) focused on sustainable materials recovery and circular technologies. These centres will advance research in battery recycling and next-generation refining methods, positioning India as a global leader in sustainable mineral processing and green technology innovation.

Infrastructure Urban

09 Jan 2026

Mount Expands Tumkur Facility with New Automated Panel, PEB Lines

Mount Roofing & Structures Private Limited, one of India's fastest-growing manufacturers in PUF and a leading solutions provider across pre-engineered building (PEB) and polycarbonate sheets, simultaneously inaugurated its second fully automated continuous sandwich panel manufacturing line and a new PEB manufacturing plant at its integrated campus in Tumkur.The milestone expansion, part of a total investment of Rs 250 crore, marks a significant advancement in the company's commitment to engineered performance, manufacturing scale, and industrial growth. The integrated facility spans approx..

India Becomes First to Produce Bio-Bitumen for Roads

India has become the first country in the world to commercially produce bio-bitumen for use in road construction, according to Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. Bitumen, a black and viscous hydrocarbon derived from crude oil, is a key binding material in road building, and the bio-based alternative is expected to significantly improve the sector’s environmental footprint.Addressing the CSIR Technology Transfer Ceremony in New Delhi, Mr Gadkari congratulated Council of Scientific and Industrial Research on achieving the milestone, noting that the initiative would help curb ..

HILT Policy Seen Boosting Telangana Revenue Sharply

The Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation (HILT) Policy is expected to generate around Rs 1.08 billion in revenue for the Telangana state exchequer, according to Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu. Speaking in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, he said the policy would be implemented within a six-month timeframe in a transparent manner, with uniform rules applicable to all stakeholders. Mr Vikramarka noted that without the HILT Policy, the state would have earned only about Rs 1.2 million per acre. Under the new framework, however, revenue is projected to rise sharply to Rs 70 ..