Restoring the Reactivity of Organic Acid Solution Used for Silver Recovery from Solar Cells by Fractional Distillation

Abstract

Methanesulfonic acid (MSA) is used to recover silver (Ag) from solar cells by adding an oxidizing agent. It is possible to regenerate by substituting of H+ for Ag+, and thus it can be reused for additional reactions. However, MSA is highly hygroscopic, and as an oxidizing agent can easily decompose in the acidic environment during Ag extraction, leading to dilution due to the formation of H2O. This H2O in the MSA solution hinders the Ag extraction. In this study, we present a fractional distillation process for restoring the reactivity of reused MSA solutions by reducing the H2O content. Our results showed that the reactivity of the separated MSA was restored and Ag could be recovered from the solar cell.

Recovery of Lead and Silver from Zinc Leaching Residue Using Methanesulfonic Acid

“…However, distillation is very energy intensive compared to other separation processes. Less energy intensive separation techniques could make this process more economically appealing . The valorization strategy proposed in this work focuses on the recovery of high value metals, that is, lead and silver.…”

“…Less energy intensive separation techniques could make this process more economically appealing. 35 The valorization strategy proposed in this work focuses on the recovery of high value metals, that is,…”

Recovery of copper, zinc and lead from photovoltaic panel residue

“…Current advances on metal recovery from PVPs are focussed on precious metals, like silver. [5][6][7][8][9] Nevertheless, this material can also serve as a secondary resource for base metals such as copper, zinc and lead. As these metals are usually present in metallic or alloy form, green solvents such as ionic liquids or deep eutectic solvents could be employed for their extraction.…”

“…As these metals are usually present in metallic or alloy form, green solvents such as ionic liquids or deep eutectic solvents could be employed for their extraction. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Chloride leaching is also a very effective and industrialized hydrometallurgical process to extract copper, zinc and lead due to the propensity of these metals to form stable chloro complexes, according to the following general reaction: [11][12][13] M n+ (aq…”

“…Given the mineralogy of metals in PVPs (metallic or alloy form), the presence of an oxidizing agent, such as H 2 O 2 , is necessary for their solubilization. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Microwave (MW) irradiation could further enhance the leaching efficiencies of the targeted metals, reduce leaching time and offer a faster heating process compared to conventional vat and/or pressure leaching. 17,18 Several researchers have evaluated the effect of microwave irradiation in chloride media and reported very promising results.…”