Work

Improving particle separation and recovery of valuable materials from end-of-life solar panels

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Massive photovoltaic (PV) modules will be decommissioned and must be properly recycled, but the current methods cannot recycle end-of-life PV panels especially recovering valuable materials like silver and silicon in a feasible way. In this study, a highly efficient recycling method is developed, featuring a novel sieving aids technology for high-efficiency separation of solar cells and glass, connected with the upstream pyrolysis for delamination and downstream chemical leaching for silver recovery. The results indicate that over 96.3 wt.% of the chip-like PV cell particles can be separated from the debris mixture under the optimised sieving conditions using the new sieving aids technology, compared to the separation rate of 31.7% in the conventional sieving methods. The PV cell particles collected by the separation process are further leached by the 4M nitric acid at 40°C for 30 mins in a beaker for silver extraction. The leaching result shows that over 98.9% of the silver contained in the PV modules can be recovered by this integrated method. The study provides a new method for a highly efficient recycling process of end-of-life PV modules.

Source: Resources Conservation and Recycling

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108594

Authors: Chengsun He, Yuting Zhuo, Yansong Shen

Institution: UNSW Sydney

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: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $5,270