Abstract
The cumulative global photovoltaic (PV) waste reached 250,000 metric tonnes by the end of 2016 and is expected to increase considerably in the future. Hence, adequate end-of-life (EoL) management for PV modules must be developed. Today, most of the EoL modules go to landfill, mainly because recycling processes for PV modules are not yet economically feasible and regulation in most countries is not yet well established. Nevertheless, several methods for recycling PV modules are under development. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology that quantifies the environmental impacts of a process or a product. An attributional LCA was undertaken to compare landfill, incineration, reuse and recycling (mechanical, thermal and chemical routes) of EoL crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar modules, based on a combination of real process data and assumptions. The results show that recovery of materials from solar modules results in lower environmental impacts compared to other EoL scenarios, considering our assumptions. The impacts could be even lower with the adoption of more complex processes that can reclaim more materials. Although recycling processes can achieve good recycling rates and recover almost all materials from solar modules, attention must be paid to the use of toxic substances during the chemical routes of recycling and to the distance to recycling centres due to the impacts of transportation.
Highlights
By the end of 2016, the world solar photovoltaic (PV) installed capacity was around 78 GW, which is more than double compared with 2014 and 32 times more than in 2000 [1]
It is well known that today most of the PV modules go to landfill sites [2], because PV recycling processes are not economically feasible yet and regulation in most countries has not been established for this waste stream [2]
This report compares the environmental impacts of landfill, incineration, reuse and three potential recycling options of EoL crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar modules, considering results already described in the literature
Summary
By the end of 2016, the world solar photovoltaic (PV) installed capacity was around 78 GW, which is more than double compared with 2014 and 32 times more than in 2000 [1]. The increasing waste from PV panels is an environmental obstacle to be overcome, but it opens a range of opportunities to create processes that can transform this discarded material into an economic and ecological solution. For this to happen, there must be adequate end-of-life (EoL). This report compares the environmental impacts of landfill, incineration, reuse and three potential recycling options (mechanical, thermal and chemical routes) of EoL c-Si solar modules, considering results already described in the literature. The results presented here can inform on the best route waste management to be taken from an ecological perspective, including the possible recovery of materials for their reuse during the initial steps of solar cells and modules production
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