Sustainable System for Raw-Metal Recovery from Crystalline Silicon Solar Panels: From Noble-Metal Extraction to Lead Removal

Jung, Byungjo; Park, Jong‐Sung; Seo, Donghwan; Park, Nochang

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.6b00894

Cited by 151 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The recovered Ag and Cu are at least 99% pure, and the recovery rate for Ag is 74%, Pb 99%, and Cu 83%. This sequential electrowinning method is more attractive than the one in Jung et al, 36 especially if the Ag recovery rate approaches 100% 28…”

Section: Technologies For Component/materials Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are two methods in the literature that deal with multimetal recovery from the leachate. Jung et al 36 used 2‐hydroxy‐5‐nonylacetophenone oxime to extract Cu from the HNO 3 leachate and then divided the leachate into two parts: One part contained Cu, and the other contained Ag and Pb. For the Cu‐containing part, they added sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) to form Cu sulfate (CuSO 4 ) and then performed electrowinning to recover metallic Cu.…”

Section: Technologies For Component/materials Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Major challenges and opportunities in silicon solar module recycling

Tao

Fthenakis

Ebin

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

125

122

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This article examines some of the basic questions about silicon module recycling: (1) What can be recovered from silicon modules? (2) What recycling technologies are needed? (3) What are the potential revenues for different recycling scenarios? And (4) what are the major challenges for different recycling scenarios? Three recycling scenarios are considered: module reuse, component extraction, and material extraction. Recycling process sequences for different scenarios are outlined. The discussions conclude that module reuse generates the highest revenue with the fewest processing steps, while material extraction leads to the lowest revenue with the most processing steps. It is suggested that gentle and clean separation of silicon solar cells from the glass pane is a critical technology for silicon module recycling. It is also argued that two low‐concentration metals must be recovered from silicon modules: silver as a scarce material and lead as a toxic material. Their recovery requires chemical methods, while bulky materials including glass cullet, aluminum frame, and copper wiring can be recovered with physical methods. The silicon in the cells can be extracted with different qualities: ferro‐silicon, metallurgical‐grade silicon, or solar‐grade silicon, with a higher revenue and more complicated recycling process for purer silicon. Markets outside the solar industry for the recovered silicon should be explored. The biggest challenge for module reuse is to find a large and sustained market for hundreds of gigawatts peak of decommissioned modules a year, and the biggest challenge for component extraction is the many different module and cell structures on the market and cell efficiency variability. For all the three scenarios, the cost of collecting and processing waste modules is a common challenge.

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Section: Technologies For Component/materials Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Technologies For Component/materials Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major challenges and opportunities in silicon solar module recycling

Tao

Fthenakis

Ebin

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

125

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hence, EoL PV modules must be collected and recycled, which is now established by domestic law in many European countries. In this regard, many researchers have reported technical articles on recycling technologies for recovering valuable materials from PV modules . As a remarkably advanced recycling technology, Sasil Co reported a process for separating glass from a c‐Si PV module using an infrared heater and a chisel .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simple pretreatment processes for successful reclamation and remanufacturing of crystalline silicon solar cells

Lee

Ahn

et al. 2017

Progress in Photovoltaics

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This study presents an effective method for recovering unbroken solar cells from photovoltaic (PV) modules. The combustion process is effective at removing ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) in PV modules. However, the solar cell tends to break during the combustion process. We verify that the breakage mechanisms of the solar cell in the module are related to the thermal changes of EVA during the heat treatment process, that is, generated gases form bubbles behind the glass, and the thermal deformation of the rear EVA applies stress to the solar cell. This study investigates the simple pretreatments of glass cracking and EVA patterning to prevent the breakage behavior. An unbroken solar cell was successfully recovered from the module after complete EVA removal using the combustion process. The recovered solar cell was immersed in a mixed acid solution of HNO 3 and HF to reclaim the crystalline silicon wafer, which subsequently underwent the solar cell manufacturing process. The PV performances of the solar cells based on the reclaimed wafer and a commercial wafer were evaluated and compared. The PV performance of the solar cell manufactured from the reclaimed wafer was measured at 18.5%, whereas that from the commercial wafer-based solar cell was measured at 18.7%. Consequently, the considered pretreatment processes yielded solar cells acceptable for use in the PV industry.

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“…[5][6][7] PV modules contain valuable materials such as silicon (Si), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), and gallium (Ga) and hazardous materials such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), which are harmful to humans. 8,9 From the economic efficiency aspect, it is quite signicant to recycle valuable materials, especially silicon, which can ensure the sustainability of the supply chain in the long term and reduce the energy payback time (EPBT). 10,11 Moreover, from the environmental protection aspect, recycling EoL PV modules not only prevents the release of hazardous substances from the waste PV modules, but also reduces the CO 2 emission and greenhouse-gas payback time related to the manufacture of PV modules.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%