Recycling of silicon solar panels through a salt-etching approach

Shuaibo Gao, Xiang Chen, Jiakang Qu, Yanyang Guo, Hao Shi, Fangzhao Pang, Lei Guo, Xin Qu, Dihua Wang () and Huayi Yin ()
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Shuaibo Gao: Wuhan University
Xiang Chen: Northeastern University
Jiakang Qu: Northeastern University
Yanyang Guo: Wuhan University
Hao Shi: Wuhan University
Fangzhao Pang: Wuhan University
Lei Guo: Wuhan University
Xin Qu: Wuhan University
Dihua Wang: Wuhan University
Huayi Yin: Wuhan University

Nature Sustainability, 2024, vol. 7, issue 7, 920-930

Abstract: Abstract The production and use of silicon (Si) solar panels is soaring during the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system. To mitigate their environmental footprints, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient recycling method to handle end-of-life Si solar panels. Here we report a simple salt-etching approach to recycle Ag and Si from end-of-life Si solar panels without using toxic mineral acids and generating secondary pollution. The etching process is enabled by the high corrosivity of molten hydroxide that spontaneously reacts with SiNx, SiO2, Al2O3 and Al at the surface of Si wafers through the top-down direction, thereby directly separating Ag from Si wafers. The etching process takes only 180 s to recover >99.0% of Ag and >98.0% of Si from end-of-life Si solar panels. In addition, Cu, Pb, Sn and Al in Si solar panels are also recovered through a combined oxidation, alkaline leaching and electrodeposition approach. Overall, this study presents a viable approach for sustainable management of end-of-life Si solar panels, paving the way to a circular economy.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01360-4

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