Recycling of solar panels
The lifespan of solar panels is 25-30 years. As the amount of solar panels has increased significantly in Sweden, they will cause a lot of waste. The aim is to convert the silicon-based solar panels into sand.
This project contributes to the development of sustainable technologies to convert scrapped solar panels directly into the environmentally neutral material sand. The market for solar panels has shown strong growth in recent years. Photovoltaic installations have a lifespan of 25-30 years. It is foreseen that the amount of waste from discarded solar cells is unavoidable and therefore there is a strong need for innovative, energy-efficient solutions to manage the silicon waste with high precision.
The first phase of the projects includes an extensive literature study and will produce an overview of the latest developments in the recycling of silicon-based solar cells in Sweden with a comparison to other parts of the world. The second phase involves the processing of selected materials from solar cells. Treatment with heat and chemical substances will split the silicon-based materials. We will investigate different synthesis parameters to define the path "from silicon to sand".
Funding: Rönnbäret Foundation
Project participants: Enock Mulenga, Math Bollen
Collaboration: Wood Technology (LTU)
Updated: