Assessment of the energy recovery potential of waste Photovoltaic (PV) modules

Farrell, Charlie; Osman, Ahmed I.; Zhang, Xiaolei; Murphy, Adrian; Doherty, Rory; Morgan, Kevin T.; Rooney, David; Harrison, John; Coulter, Rachel; Shen, Dekui

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41762-5

Cited by 70 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The authors observed that the main pyrolysis reactions occurred between 400°C and 500°C and that temperature increases beyond the upper bound did not produce a significant mass loss. Farrell et al (2019) looked at the effect of pyrolysis on EVA backsheet and two-stage decomposition was observed. In the first stage in which a temperature range was from 310 to 390°C, there was the removal of acetic acid from the vinyl acetate monomer within the EVA structure, with a mass loss of approximately 22.6 wt.%.…”

Section: Pv Modules Recycling Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic Module Recycling: Thermal Treatment to Degrade Polymers and Concentrate Valuable Metals

et al. 2021

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This work investigated the thermal treatment to separate and concentrate economically valuable materials from laminates of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules (i.e., photovoltaic modules without the aluminum frame and the junction box). Chemical characterization of the metal content was performed by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The polymers of the backsheet were also characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The influence of the atmosphere (oxidizing and inert) on the decomposition of the backsheet was investigated by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Moreover, non-comminuted samples were tested for 4 thermal time lengths (30, 60, 90, and 120 min) in the furnace under ambient air. The degradation of the polymers was measured and 3 material fractions were obtained: silicon with silver and residual polymers (SS), glass and copper ribbons. Furthermore, there was no statistical difference between the mass losses of the samples submitted for 90 (13.62 ± 0.02 wt.%) and 120 min at 500 °C (p-value = 0.062). In the SS fraction, silver was 20 times more concentrated than in the ground photovoltaic laminate and 30 times more concentrated than high silver concentration ores. The SS fraction (about 6 wt.%) also presented low copper concentration and a high concentration of lead (hazardous metal). About 79 wt.% glass was obtained, as well as 1% copper ribbons (55.69 ± 6.39% copper, 23.17 ± 7.51% lead, 16.06 ± 2.12% tin). The limitations of the treatment and its environmental impact are discussed, and suggestions for industrial-scale application are given.

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Section: Pv Modules Recycling Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic Module Recycling: Thermal Treatment to Degrade Polymers and Concentrate Valuable Metals

et al. 2021

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“…In other countries, tackling PV modules waste are also proved to be valuable from energy, environment, and economic perspectives (Farrell et al, 2019;Gönen & Kaplano glu, 2019) and management of the end-of-life PV components has already started in some countries and regions where the industry chain is developed and mature. Japan is, for example, the first country that conducted researches on PV recycling technologies as early as 2000.…”

Section: Process Of Pv Modules End-of-life Management and Global Stmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conception and policy implications of photovoltaic modules end‐of‐life management in China

Wang

Shen

et al. 2020

WIREs Energy & Environment

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China has become the world's largest market for photovoltaic (PV). Effective management of end-of-life PV components is critical to the sustainable development of renewable energy. However, the scale of PV recycle industry is still small in China, and there is a lack of supporting policies and public attention. Issues and solutions regarding PV end-of-life management have not been well covered by the research community, and this article aimed at filling this gap. This article first examined the growing need for PV modules end-of-life management in China as a result of rapid PV installation expansion fueled by governments' policy promotion and fiscal incentives, especially with special programs such as the Photovoltaic Poverty Alleviation Initiative. Then, factors leading to the PV components recycling issues, policies adopted in other countries and regions to promote PV recycle, and various business modes that can be applied to enable PV recycle were reviewed. Finally, a more effective institutional hierarchy was presented for PV modules end-of-life management, with a set of specific recommendations on actions that can help strengthen PV end-of-life management.

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“…Biomass, unlike other sustainable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, marine and hydropower, can directly produce fuel along with chemicals (Quereshi et al 2021;Farrell et al 2019;Farrell et al 2020). Thus, it is not feasible to substitute fossil-based fuels with the aforementioned sustainable energy sources; hence, biomass utilisation to produce fuel and chemicals is required (Bharti et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conversion of biomass to biofuels and life cycle assessment: a review

et al. 2021

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The global energy demand is projected to rise by almost 28% by 2040 compared to current levels. Biomass is a promising energy source for producing either solid or liquid fuels. Biofuels are alternatives to fossil fuels to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Nonetheless, policy decisions for biofuels should be based on evidence that biofuels are produced in a sustainable manner. To this end, life cycle assessment (LCA) provides information on environmental impacts associated with biofuel production chains. Here, we review advances in biomass conversion to biofuels and their environmental impact by life cycle assessment. Processes are gasification, combustion, pyrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis routes and fermentation. Thermochemical processes are classified into low temperature, below 300 °C, and high temperature, higher than 300 °C, i.e. gasification, combustion and pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is promising because it operates at a relatively lower temperature of up to 500 °C, compared to gasification, which operates at 800–1300 °C. We focus on 1) the drawbacks and advantages of the thermochemical and biochemical conversion routes of biomass into various fuels and the possibility of integrating these routes for better process efficiency; 2) methodological approaches and key findings from 40 LCA studies on biomass to biofuel conversion pathways published from 2019 to 2021; and 3) bibliometric trends and knowledge gaps in biomass conversion into biofuels using thermochemical and biochemical routes. The integration of hydrothermal and biochemical routes is promising for the circular economy.

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Assessment of the energy recovery potential of waste Photovoltaic (PV) modules

Cited by 70 publications

References 55 publications

Photovoltaic Module Recycling: Thermal Treatment to Degrade Polymers and Concentrate Valuable Metals

Photovoltaic Module Recycling: Thermal Treatment to Degrade Polymers and Concentrate Valuable Metals

Conception and policy implications of photovoltaic modules end‐of‐life management in China

Conversion of biomass to biofuels and life cycle assessment: a review

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