Circulation
technology of waste photovoltaic panels for production
of ultrapure silicon and energy in the form of hydrogen storage was
designed and verified. Preparation of magnesium silicide from waste
photovoltaic panel’s silicon and partially oxidized magnesium
was thoroughly studied. Work was focused on process optimization,
thus, three groups of reactors were tested, namely the continuously
evacuated open reactor, pre-evacuated batch reactor and semiopened
reactors. The influence of reaction temperature was evaluated in the
range of 330–630 °C for various reaction atmospheres;
argon and/or air at pressures of 5, 33, and 100 kPa; and vacuum in
the range of 5–30 Pa. The effect of nitrogen and oxygen presence
in the atmosphere on the resulted reaction and reaction rate was also
thoroughly studied. The minimum reaction time guaranteeing the total
conversion of silicon for two purities of used magnesium was also
determined. The produced materials were analyzed by dispersive Raman
spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive
X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Finally, the reactor filling,
which significantly influenced the formation of magnesium silicide,
was tested and established minimally at 30% of reactoŕs volume.
Hydrolysis of obtained magnesium silicide by diluted acid for silicon
hydrides’ (silanes) production and their subsequent thermal
decomposition into the ultrapure silicon and hydrogen were successfully
verified.