Sustainable Valuable Materials from Waste Heterojunction Solar Cells: A Focus on the Purification of Indium

Ming Liu, Lei Wang, Wenqi Zhao, Xinyue Cao, Jie Fan, Zhen Zhang (), Yihong Chen and Lianghu Zhuang
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Ming Liu: College of Smart Energy, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Lei Wang: The College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Changzhou 213022, China
Wenqi Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Space Power Sources, Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources, Shanghai 200245, China
Xinyue Cao: College of Smart Energy, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Jie Fan: College of Smart Energy, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Zhen Zhang: College of Smart Energy, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Yihong Chen: Changzhou Ruisai Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Changzhou 213031, China
Lianghu Zhuang: Changzhou Ruisai Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Changzhou 213031, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: The expansion of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell production has prompted concerns regarding the rising consumption of indium. To address the issue of indium scarcity, the use of benign hydrometallurgical conditions for the recovery of indium—a rare noble metal—from the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer of the cells was investigated. The results showed that due to the insufficient adhesion between the silver fingers and the TCO layer, the complete recovery of the silver fingers could be accomplished without damaging the cell by the etching process involving 10% NaOH at 90 °C for 10 min. The optimal chemical treatment conditions were adjusted to ensure the efficient dissolution of indium metal from the cell into solution. The subsequent solvent extraction stripping process yielded an indium concentration of 6232 mg/L, a 24-fold increase over the initial leach solution concentration. Finally, a 12-h replacement reaction using aluminum plates was employed to achieve higher indium purity. The final recovery of indium from SHJ cells was determined to be approximately 85%, and an approximate cost analysis was conducted to assess the potential future of SHJ cell recycling.

Keywords: indium; recovery; heterojunction solar cells; TCO layer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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