Today, technologies for high-value recycling of PV wastes (targeting a recovery of all reusable materials) are not cost-efficient. PV panels are a complex waste with a rather low density of valuable materials, recycling cost depend on the PV technology (thin film, Si PV) and module architecture, resale values on content and (fluctuating) resale prices of materials. Many recyclers focus therefore on keeping cost low, treatment of end-of-life and broken modules is mostly done by removing the aluminium frame, junction box and copper cables, and shredding the glass with attached organic encapsulants/silicon cells and absorber layers. The organic material is then usually removed by thermal treatment of the total mass, the glass mostly reused in low quality applications (glass wool), and silicon is not recovered.

New technology and equipment for automatized opening and delamination of PV end-of-life modules: the first economic solution in the market which does not shredder PV waste but is able to recover undamaged glass. The process covers dismantling, destruction-free opening (for thin film modules and Si-based modules), separation and sorting of several plastics and inorganic materials (for Si-types) and hydrometallurgical treatment to recover metals. Undamaged glass panels can be sorted according to quality, separating the expensive, iron-free front glass panels from the rest.

Outputs are: glass (sorted panels and sorted cullets),aluminium, copper and/or stainless steel scrap, de-metallized silicon shards (not purified), silver (and/or compounds), indium concentrates.

What is new?

High-Value recycling

• Recovering all rare materials (silver, indium, gallium, tellurium, molybdenum)
• Preserving quality and high-embedded energy values of silicon and glass
• Securing potential harmful substances as lead, selenium, or cadmium

High-yield recycling

• Processing all types of PV waste (thin film and silicon PV)
• Targeted recovery rate: 100%