Solar Panel Waste Research Articles

SYNTHESES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CALCIUM-BASED GEOPOLYMER FROM SOLAR-CELL PANEL-GLASS WASTE BY HYDROTHERMAL METHOD

A calcium-based geopolymer was synthesized using a blend of recycled glass powder from solar panels (PV glass waste), limestone, and a sodium silicate solution, which underwent hydrothermal autoclaving at 180 °C for varying durations. This material is regarded as environmentally friendly and has garnered research attention worldwide. In this investigation, limestone served as the calcium source, while recycled glass from solar panels provided the SiO2 necessary for producing calcium-based geopolymer materials. Currently, solar-panel waste poses a significant environmental challenge that requires attention. The objective of this research was to develop a sustainable and high-performance calcium-based geopolymer using waste materials, specifically recycled glass from solar panels and limestone. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of hydrothermal autoclaving on the compressive strength, volume weight, porosity, and water absorption of the synthesized geopolymer, as well as to understand the microstructural transformations involved. The results revealed a remarkable 430 % increase in the compressive strength of the specimens following hydrothermal autoclaving for 24 to 96 hours compared to the unautoclaved samples. Concurrently, the volumetric weight had a substantial rise from 1.54 % to 2.31 g/cm3, with corresponding decreases in the porosity and water absorption from 38.1 % to 16.9 % and 10.26 % to 5.08 %, respectively. An X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the mineral composition and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination of the microstructure demonstrated a transformation of all samples from an amorphous gel structure to needle- or spike-shaped fibrous, and then sheet-like CSH structures. These new structures exhibited dimensions of less than 10 µm in length, less than 2 µm in width, and less than 400 nm in thickness. The resulting CSH products constitute calcium silicate hydrate minerals, characteristic of calcium silicate materials, which are synthetic products arising from chemical reactions among SiO2, CaO, and H2O under hydrothermal conditions. This study underscores the potential of using recycled materials to produced high-strength geopolymers, offering a promising solution to the environmental challenge of solar-panel waste.

Redox-mediated changes in the release dynamics of lead (Pb) and bacterial community composition in a biochar amended soil contaminated with metal halide perovskite solar panel waste

This study explored the redox-mediated changes in a lead (Pb) contaminated soil (900 mg/kg) due to the addition of solar cell powder (SC) and investigated the impact of biochar derived from soft wood pellet (SWP) and oil seed rape straw (OSR) (5% w/w) on Pb immobilization using an automated biogeochemical microcosm system. The redox potential (Eh) of the untreated (control; SC) and biochar treated soils (SC + SWP and SC + OSR) ranged from −151 mV to +493 mV. In SC, the dissolved Pb concentrations were higher under oxic (up to 2.29 mg L−1) conditions than reducing (0.13 mg L−1) conditions. The addition of SWP and OSR to soil immobilized Pb, decreased dissolved concentration, which could be possibly due to the increase of pH, co-precipitation of Pb with FeMn (hydro)oxides and pyromorphite, and complexation with biochar surface functional groups. The ability and efficiency of OSR for Pb immobilization were higher than SWP, owing to the higher pH and density of surface functional groups of OSR than SWP. Biochar enhanced the relative abundance of Proteobacteria irrespective of Eh changes, while the relative abundance of Bacteroidota increased under oxidizing conditions. Overall, we found that both OSR and SWP immobilized Pb in solar panel waste contaminated soil under both oxidizing and reducing redox conditions which may mitigate the potential risk of Pb contamination.

Innovative recycling of high purity silver from silicon solar cells by acid leaching and ultrasonication

Precious and scarce silver (Ag) is used as a front electrical contact in silicon solar panels. With massive amounts of solar panel waste coming to end-of-life, it is imperative to recover all the Ag from these modules. In this paper, we propose a novel method to easily reclaim Ag from end-of-life silicon solar cells using low concentration sulfuric acid (H2SO4) leaching followed by ultrasonication. Our process simplifies the Ag recycling procedure by directly recovering the Ag contacts from solar cells, eliminating the need for secondary precipitation/electrodeposition. First, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study the leaching and ultrasonication process on rejected solar wafers. Next, a solar panel from landfill was heated in a furnace to burn off the polymer encapsulant. The silicon wafers were then collected from the burning process and leached in 2 M H2SO4 at two different shaking speeds for 48 h at room temperature. Finally, the end-of-life silicon wafer pieces were collected, sonicated in water, and then the sonication water was centrifuged to show a proof-of-concept to recover the Ag contacts. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICPOES) is used to monitor dissolved elements in the leachate as a function of time and shaking speed. XPS is used to evaluate the composition of the silicon cell wafer surface before and after H2SO4 leaching. SEM is used to image the recovered Ag contacts morphology and EDX confirms the recovered particles contain high amounts of Ag. A proposed schematic illustrates the authors’ hypothesis for the peeling mechanism.

Decommissioning and Recycling of End-of-Life Photovoltaic Solar Panels in Western Australia

Academics predict that a significant volume of end-of-life (EOL) photovoltaic (PV) solar panel waste will be generated in the coming years due to the significant rise in the production and use of PV solar panels since the late 20th Century. This study focuses on identifying a sustainable solution for the management of EOL PV solar panel waste by triangulating the information collected on areas such as the current state, the key barriers, and the key enablers with respect to managing EOL PV solar panel waste, specifically in Western Australia (WA). The data were collected using online survey questions and interviews with users of PV solar panels, sellers of PV solar panels, recyclers of PV solar panels, and local governments in Western Australia. Findings reveal that although there is a low generation of PV solar panel waste at present, it is concerning that WA lacks systems and infrastructure to manage this waste. Introducing and implementing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy, banning EOL PV solar panels from landfills, and, finally, increasing financial investment in this study area through grants, subsidies, and loans could be a sustainable solution for the management of EOL PV solar panel waste in WA.

Estimation of possible volumes of solar panel waste generation in the Republic of Uzbekistan

Estimation of possible volumes of solar panel waste generation in the Republic of Uzbekistan

Analysis for End-of-Life Solar Panel Generations by Renewable Energy Supply towards Carbon Neutrality in South Korea

When solar panels reach end-of-life, the disposal of solar panel waste is an issue of concern because it creates environmental pollution if it is improperly disposed of. It is expected that such waste will probably be increasing as the widespread use of renewable energy is adopted by taking measures associated with carbon neutrality. Thus, accurate prediction of solar panel waste with future demands for renewable energy is urgently needed for sustainable waste management. This study examined the amounts of solar panels to be retried by 2050 under three scenarios (S1-BAU, S2, S3). The amounts of solar panels to be retired are estimated by using the PBM (population balance model) with the Weibull distribution. According to the carbon neutral scenario (S3), the total amounts of solar panels to be retired are anticipated to be around 172 kt in 2030, 932 kt in 2040, and 3146 kt in 2050. The total volume of retired solar panels was projected to be 168 kt in 2030, 820 kt in 2040, and 2331 kt in 2050 under the government-led scenario (S2). The average recovery of end-of-life solar panels produced by the three scenarios in 2050 is 1531 kt, 337 kt, 535 kt, and 22 kt for glass, aluminum, silicon, and copper, respectively. Economic benefits by resource recovery of retired solar panels in 2050 range from $25.6 million in S1 to $519.1 million in S3. Based on the sensitivity analysis with the weight of solar panel (5% and 10% reduction), the results indicated that the annual volumes of retired solar panels mostly fell within the range of 4.9% to 10.0% in 2050. To confirm the predicted volumes of retired solar panels in this study, a further study is warranted because they can be influenced by other factors (e.g., weight, technology development, early loss rate, or reuse and recycling options).

A Comprehensive and Sustainable Recycling Process for Different Types of Blended End-of-Life Solar Panels: Leaching and Recovery of Valuable Base and Precious Metals and/or Elements

The production of photovoltaic modules is increasing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, this results in a significant amount of waste at the end of their lifespan. Therefore, recycling these solar panels is important for environmental and economic reasons. However, collecting and separating crystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper–indium–gallium–selenide panels can be challenging, especially in underdeveloped countries. The innovation in this work is the development of a process to recycle all solar panel waste. The dissolution of all metals through the leaching process is studied as the main step of the flowchart. In the first step of leaching, 98% of silver can be recovered by 0.5 M nitric acid. Then, the second and third step involves the use of glycine for base metal dissolution, followed by the leaching of valuable metals with hydrochloric acid. The effect of parameters such as the initial pH, acid concentration, solid/liquid ratio, and hydrogen peroxide concentration is studied. The results show that up to 100% of Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn, Cd, In, Ga, and Se can be recovered under optimal conditions. The optimal conditions for the dissolution of Cu, Zn, and Cd were a glycine concentration of 0.5 M, a temperature of 25 °C, a solid/liquid ratio of 10 gr/L, and 1% of hydrogen peroxide. The optimized glycine concentration for the leaching of lead and tin was 1.5 M. Indium and gallium were recovered at 100% by the use of 5 M hydrochloric acid, S/L ratio = 10 gr/L, and T = 45 °C. Separation of selenium and tellurium occurred using 0.5 M HCl at a temperature of 60 °C. Additionally, for the first time, a general outlook for the recycling of various end-of-life solar panels is suggested.

Optimization of synthesis parameters for the preparation of zeolite by reusing industrialwaste as raw material: Sandblasting waste and solar panel waste glass

This paper describes the use of sandblasting waste (SW) and solar panel waste glass (SPWG) as raw materials in the hydrothermal synthesis of Linde-type A zeolite (zeolite A) with crystallinity (83.89%) matching that of samples in the literature. ANOVA results indicated the following optimal synthesis parameters: crystallization temperature (120 °C), crystallization time (36 h), and Si/Al molar ratio (SAMR = 2.0). Model fitting results (R2 = 0.94) revealed a strong correlation between our regression results and experiment results, with the P value meeting the 95% confidence level. Experiment results confirmed the efficacy of the proposed hydrothermal processing method in synthesizing zeolite A using SPWG and waste SW as raw materials.

Optimal synthesis of zeolite materials for humidity control from recycled industrial waste: central composite design

This article examines the process of optimizing the parameters used in the alkali fusion/hydrothermal synthesis of zeolite materials from solar panel waste glass (SPWG) and sandblasting waste (SW). Central composite design (CCD) was used to assess the influence of SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio (X1), synthesis temperature (X2) and synthesis duration (X3) on the crystallinity (%) and moisture maximum adsorption capacity. The resulting zeolite materials were also characterized using X-ray diffraction, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that all three process variables had a significant effect on the crystallinity and moisture maximum adsorption capacity, and that X3 had the most surprising effects. The optimal parameter set (X 1 = 2.0, X 2 = 120 °C, and X 3 = 48 h) resulted in the highest crystallinity (91.98%) and largest surface area (372.75 m2/g) due to a well-ordered structure with an average pore diameter of 2.11 nm and an overall pore volume of 0.197 cm3/g. As expected, these samples presented the highest 24-h moisture maximum adsorption capacity (66.75 g/m2). These results provide insight into the synthesis of low-cost environmentally-friendly zeolite materials from industrial waste.

End-of-life solar photovoltaic panel waste management in India: forecasting and environmental impact assessment.

Presently, India is in the stage of installation of solar photovoltaic panels and no focus is being given towards the impending problem of handling solar waste. The absence of adequate regulations, guidelines and operational infrastructure for photovoltaic waste in the country may lead to waste being inappropriately landfilled or incinerated in a manner that may be detrimental to human health and the environment. Business as usual projection estimates 6.64 million tonnes and 5.48 million tonnes of waste generation due to the early and regular losses using the Weibull distribution function, respectively by 2040 in India. The current study also systematically investigates various policies and legislation developments on the end-of-life of photovoltaic modules in various regions of the world, to identify gaps for further assessment. Using life cycle assessment methodology, this paper compares the environmental impacts of landfilling end-of-life crystalline silicon panels with avoided burden approach due to the recycling of materials. It has been demonstrated that solar photovoltaic recycling and reusing the recovered materials will result in impact reduction in the forthcoming production phase by as high as 70%. Further, the outcomes of carbon footprint, single score indicator with the application of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also predicts lower values for avoided burden approach due to recycling (15,393.96 kgCO2 eq) in comparison to landfill approach (19,844.054kg CO2 eq). The outcomes of this study aim to illuminate the importance of the sustainable management of photovoltaic panels at end-of-life.

An evaluation of the impact framework for product stewardship on end-of-life solar photovoltaic modules: An environmental lifecycle assessment

The growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) waste in the coming years requires implementation of effective management options. Australia, with one of the highest rates of rooftop solar PV, is still developing policy options to manage these panels when they reach their end-of-life. This study evaluates the environmental impacts of three options for mono and multi crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar panel waste modules. The impact of transport distance from transfer stations to the recycling centre is also assessed. The life cycle assessment revealed that, -1 E+06 kgCO2eq and -2 E+06 kgCO2eq are associated with the mandatory product stewardship scenarios under global warming potential for mono and multi c-Si solar modules, respectively. However, the non-existence of a product stewardship will produce a global warming impact of 1 E+05 kgCO2eq for both modules. The global warming effects revealed that, collecting and recycling most of the multi c-Si panels were not effective (−365.00 kg CO2-eq, −698.40 kg CO2-eq, −1032.00 kg CO2-eq) compared to keeping them away from the landfills and fully recycling (-2 E+06 kg CO2-eq) them. It was also highlighted that, the highest environmental impact regarding the transport distances was the scenario of one recycling centre serving over 107 transfer stations with a global warming potential of 1 E+06 kgCO2eq. This research model serves as the first conceptual and methodological framework for life cycle assessment (LCA) in policy and transport related analysis. Since transport is incredibly significant in PV recycling processes, it is recommended that, to further reduce these impacts, other forms of low-impact modes of transportation should be explored.

Research on the impact of solar photovoltaic panel waste on soil

Research on the impact of solar photovoltaic panel waste on soil

What to Do with the Growing Amount of Solar Panel Waste?

What to Do with the Growing Amount of Solar Panel Waste?

CURRENT STATE OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS WASTE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS IN UKRAINE

The paper analyzes the steady trend of solar energy development, which is accompanied by the formation and accumulation of solar panel waste. This process requires the application of accomplished waste management and the development of waste disposal technologies. It was determined that the problem of waste solar photovoltaic panels becomes more urgent due to the military actions taking place on the territory of Ukraine. The general characteristics of waste for different types of panels are given. The heterogeneity of the materials of photovoltaic panels leads to an ambiguous classification and involves a combination of safe and dangerous components. It has been determined that photovoltaic panel waste can be divided into two hazard classes: hazardous waste and non-hazardous waste. The key points of solar panel waste management operations are characterized in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Waste Management” and EU Legislation. The main points of disposal of unusable photovoltaic panels with recovery of valuable raw materials are described. It is noted that there are significant differences in the material composition of crystalline silicon panels and thin film modules. It is noted that two processing types of PV modules are currently distinguished – coarse and fine, and the most effective steps in the preparatory stage of disposal are also determined. In general, PV panel waste disposal operations combine mechanical and chemical material extraction processes. The imperfection of the legislative and regulatory framework in the field of waste management, the increase in the ecological danger of the generation and accumulation of waste, the imperfection of the information base and waste monitoring, the insufficient development of the processes of organizing the processes of collection, accumulation and transfer of waste for disposal, the insufficiency of proposals for methods of processing and disposal of solar panels waste as a valuable resource of secondary raw materials are notable as the main problems in the field of waste management of photovoltaic panels in Ukraine. One of the main tasks for development is to increase the share of waste materials that are currently not disposed of, but can be used as secondary raw materials.

Transitioning towards a circular economy solar energy system in Northern Australia: insights from a multi-level perspective

ABSTRACT Increasing resource efficiency and decreasing waste by 2030 through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse is one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Australia is predicted to have up to 145,000 t of solar panel waste by 2030 and many large-scale solar systems are proposed to be built across Northern Australia. Research suggests that solar panel consumption and waste patterns are not dissimilar to other forms of e-waste such as mobile phones. Consequently, there is a need to rethink how the end of life of solar panels is managed. In this paper we raise the question of how Northern Australia should plan for managing solar panel waste arising from these huge installations in the future. This paper draws on the multi-level perspective, as a framework for conceptualising the transition challenges associated with promoting a circular solar energy system in the region. Adopting this approach facilitates consideration of social, technical and political drivers of solar panel waste and their implications for governance and planning in regional Australia. It is suggested that planning activities aimed at strategic, tactical and operational levels can help Northern Australia transition into a sustainable regional future. Practitioner pointers Need to develop planning system/framework/process for waste arising from solar farms. Usefulness of the multi-level perspective for identifying the range of stakeholders, barriers and drivers. Rethinking regional development of Northern Australia through a new industry space between the solar and waste sectors.

A novel approach for preparing ecological zeolite material from solar panel waste lass and sandblasting waste: microscopic characteristics and humidity control performance

This paper outlines the fabrication of zeolite humidity control material via alkaline melting and hydrothermal synthesis based on solar panel waste glass (SPWG) and sandblasting waste (SW). We assessed the effects of Si/Al molar ratio, crystallization temperature, and crystallization time on microstructure and humidity control properties. Synthesis parameters were optimized using the Box-Behnken DOE strategy. In experiments, a crystallization temperature of 120 °C and crystallization time of 48 h with a Si/Al ratio of 2.0 resulted in a highly uniform zeolite material. The resulting synthetic zeolite possessed a surface area of 100.34 m2/g, a pore volume of 0.161 cm3/g, and an optimal crystal size of 12.66 nm. Under optimal application conditions, the proposed zeolite achieved water vapor adsorption capacity of 73.17 g/m2. This study provides a feasible alternative use for recycled solar panel waste glass and sandblasting waste, which has great potential for waste recycling in the future.

Estimating the Lifetime of Solar Photovoltaic Modules in Australia

Determining the lifetime of solar photovoltaic modules is integral to planning future installations and ensuring effective end-of-life management. The lifetime of photovoltaic modules is most commonly considered to be 25 years based on performance guarantees of 80% power output after 25 years of operation; however, influences including climatic conditions, social behaviour, fiscal policy, and technological improvements have the potential to prompt early replacement. Therefore, this work aims to estimate the operating lifetime of photovoltaic panels more accurately in Australia by considering a variety of technical, economic, and social reasons for decommissioning. Based on a range of sources including government organisations, other policymakers, regulators and advisors, energy suppliers, researchers, recyclers, and manufacturers, three lifetime models—power decrease, damage and technical failures, and economic motivation—were developed and then weighted in three scenarios to form overall views of panel lifetime in Australia. In addition, it was concluded that the module lifetime will vary considerably between countries due to differences in market factors. Therefore, these results specifically address Australia as most of the input data were sourced from Australian industry reports and Australian photovoltaic systems and interpreted within the context of the Australian photovoltaic market. However, the methodology of estimating lifetime based on both technical and non-technical factors can be applied to other scenarios by using country-specific data. With the popularity of photovoltaic technology beginning in the early 2010s and given the practical lifetimes of 15–20 years found in this work, Australia will need to act swiftly within the next three years to responsibly manage the looming solar panel waste.

Super-quadric CFD-DEM simulation of chip-like particles flow in a fluidized bed

Chip-like particles may be practised in fluidized beds in some emerging industries, but its fluidization is not well understood. In this work, the computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method (CFD-DEM) is extended to integrate with a super-quadric model to study the fluidization behaviours of chip-like particles in a three-dimensional bubbling fluidized bed (BFB). After model validation, the typical fluidization behaviours of chip-like particles in the BFB are described in terms of bubble dynamics, pressure signals, particle orientation, particle mixing, and particle dispersion. Particularly, the ordered arrangement of chip-like particles appears at the near-wall region while random arrangement occurs in other regions. The effects of superficial gas velocity and aspect ratio on the mixing and dispersion characteristics of chip-like particles are discussed. The results show that increasing aspect ratio induces a higher mean pressure drop and promotes the initial mixing state. Particle dispersion coefficients range from 10-3 m2/s to 10-2 m2/s, whose vertical component is one order of magnitude larger than the horizontal components. Larger aspect ratios and superficial gas velocities lead to larger particle dispersion coefficients. The fundamental study sheds light on the design and optimization of fluidized beds of chip-like particles including solar panel waste recycling.

R3SOLVE: A Serious Game to Support End-of-Life Rooftop Solar Panel Waste Management

A complex systems model is necessary to holistically address the end-of-life (EoL) solar panel waste problem. However, there is a significant challenge in communicating such a model to stakeholders. Serious games can overcome this challenge by simplifying a complex model via a user-friendly interface. It enables stakeholders to experiment with different decisions and understand their long-term impacts in a safe environment. In this paper, a serious game called R3SOLVE was designed from a previously developed system dynamics (SD) model. The goal of the game is to achieve certain collection and recovery outcomes through a mix of decisions ranging from product stewardship strategies, landfill regulation, technological investment, promotional effort, reuse strategy, and infrastructure improvement. The game has a single player mode, where a player can access all decisions, and a multiplayer (turn-based) mode, where two players with different roles work collaboratively to achieve the desired outcome. Rewards and penalties also exist in the game to promote players’ extrinsic motivation to use critical thinking. Both game modes have been tested in separate workshops to identify bugs and issues regarding goal clarity and in-game information. Future directions to conduct stakeholder workshops and the evaluation approach are also suggested at the end of this paper.

Trend of Treatment and Management of Solar Panel Waste

Trend of Treatment and Management of Solar Panel Waste