Work

Fixed-Bed Adsorption of Gallium and Indium from EoL CIGS Leachates on Extractant-Mesoporous Carbon: Integrated Experimental Simulation Approach

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Although the exponential increase in photovoltaic installations does contribute to mitigating climate change, it has posed the problem of photovoltaic (PV) residue. As PV panels contain strategic metals, their recovery has become a priority. This paper therefore employs a mesoporous carbon impregnated with P507 extractant as adsorbent to selectively recover gallium and indium from solutions simulating the leachate of end-of-life CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) cells in a fixed-bed. The previous batch results obtained in our lab show that both metals can be selectively separated by simply adjusting the initial pH, with large adsorption capacities (44.97 mg/g for gallium and 34.24 mg/g for indium). The obtained breakthrough curves were fitted to the Thomas, Yan, Yoon, and HSDM (Homogeneous Surface Diffusion Model) models using a simulation program developed in Python 3.12 obtaining good results in all cases (R2 > 0.9). The estimated parameters were used to predict the experimental breakthrough curve for a different experiment that had not been used for parameter estimation, being the best predictive results the obtained with the HSDM. This is logical, given that unlike the other three models, it is mechanistic.

Source: Surfaces

DOI: 10.3390/surfaces8030059

Authors: Víctor Ramos, Alejandra Vázquez Adán, Arturo Jiménez, Rubén Miranda, Eduardo Díez, Araceli Rodríguez

Institution: Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Language: English

Topic: Extraction and Separation Processes

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,930