Work

Solar PV silicon recycling via chemical and vacuum refining techniques

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This poster presents the APOLLO project research conducted by the NTNU and SINTEF team, which investigates advanced chemical and vacuum refining techniques to enable complete recycling of photovoltaic (PV) silicon. The aim is to meet the 6N purity standard (99.9999%) needed for reuse in solar applications. By combining acid and alkaline leaching with high-temperature vacuum refining (1450 °C, 0.05 mbar), researchers successfully lowered impurity levels to 16 ppm—an order of magnitude closer to the target. The study emphasises the potential of integrating surface impurity removal and bulk purification methods to efficiently recover high-purity silicon from end-of-life PV panels.

Source: Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15845478

Authors: Låstad, Jonas, Safarian, Jafar, Tang, Kai, Ulyashin, Alexander, Ma, Xiang

Institutions: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, SINTEF, SINTEF Industry

Language: English

Topic: Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: green

Funder: European Commission