Resource recovery of scrap silicon solar battery cell

Abstract

In order to minimize pollution problems and to conserve limited natural resources, a hydrometallurgical procedure was developed in this study to recover the valuable resources of silicon (Si), silver (Ag) and aluminum (Al) from scrap silicon solar battery cells. In this study, several methods of leaching, crystallization, precipitation, electrolysis and replacement were employed to investigate the recovery efficiency of Ag and Al from defective monocrystalline silicon solar battery cells. The defective solar battery cells were ground into powder followed by composition analysis with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The target metals Ag and Al weight percentage were found to be 1.67 and 7.68 respectively. A leaching process was adopted with nitric acid (HNO₃), hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and sodium hydroxide as leaching reagent to recover Ag and Al from a ground solar battery cell. Aluminum was leached 100% with 18N H₂SO₄ at 70°C and Ag was leached 100% with 6N HNO₃. Pure Si of 100% was achieved from the leaching solution after the recovery of Ag and Al, and was analyzed by scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy. Aluminum was recovered by crystallization process and silver was recovered by precipitation, electrolysis and replacement processes. These processes were applied successfully in the recovery of valuable metal Ag of 98–100%.

Keywords

Scrap solar battery cell silicon silver aluminum recovery

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bohland

Ansimov

(1997). Possibility of recycling silicon PV modules. In: Proceedings of the 26th PVSC, 30 September – 3 October, 1997, Anaheim, CA, USA.

Bombach

Wambach

Müller

Röver

(2005) Recycling of solar cells and modules – recent improvements. In: 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, 6–10 June, 2005, Barcelona, Spain. München, Germany: EUPVSEC.

Chang

(2006) A study of waste-to-resource technologies and the enhancement of value addition project. Taipei: Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency [in Chinese].

Chang

(2009) Recycling and Value Added Technologies of Solar Panels. Taipei: Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency [in Chinese].

Chen

(2007) Solar Cell Process and Pollution Control Industry Profile. Taipei: Foundation of Taiwan Industry Service [in Chinese].

Doi

Tsuda

Unagida

. (2001) Experimental study on PV module recycling with organic solvent method. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 67: 397–403.

Dong

Zhang

Damoah

(2011) Beneficial and technological analysis for the recycling of solar grade silicon wastes. Journal of Minerals, Metals and Materials 63: 23.

Eberspacher

Fthenakis

. (1997) Disposal and recycling of end-of-life PV modules. In: Proceedings of the 26th PVSC, 30 September – 3 October, 1997, Anaheim, CA, USA. New York: IEEE.

Ferry

(2012) Could Taiwan be the next big solar manufacturing hub? Available at: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/05/could-taiwan-be-the-next-big-solar-manufacturing-hub (accessed 8 February 2013).

10.

Frisson

Lieten

Bruton

. (2000) Recent improvements in industrial PV module recycling. In: 16th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, –5 May 2000, Glasgow, UK. Oxford: Earthscan Publications Ltd.

11.

Fthenakis

(2000) End-of-life management and recycling of PV modules. Energy Policy 28: 1051.

12.

Galan

Lopez

Wambach

Rover

(2005) Recovering of waste monocrystal silicon solar cells in order to be used in PV modules manufacturing. In: Proceedings of the 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, 6–10 June, 2005, Barcelona, Spain. München, Germany: EUPVSEC.

13.

Homan

(2009) Silicon supply chain. Available at: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20133888/The-Silicon-Supply-Chain (accessed 24 August 2012)

14.

Jacobson

(2009) Review of solutions to global warming. Energy and Environmental Science 2: 148–173.

15.

Klugmann-Radziemska

Ostrowski

. (2010) Experimental validation of crystalline solar cells recycling by thermal and chemical methods. Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells 94: 2275.

16.

Müller

Wambach

Alsema

(2006) Life cycle analysis of solar module recycling process. Materials Research Society Symposia Proceedings, Page 1–6.

17.

Optics.org (2012) Worldwide solar cell production growth flattens but still gigantic in 2011. Available at: http://optics.org/press/1363 (accessed 10 August 2012).

18.

TEPA (Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency) (1993) Direction method query. Available at: http://www.niea.gov.tw/analysis/method/ListMethod.asp?methodtype=REFUSE (accessed 18 April 2011) [in Chinese].

19.

Yamashita

Umemoto

Okamoto

. (2003) Research and development on recycling and reuse treatment technologies for crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. In: Proceedings of the Third World Congress on PV Energy, 18 May, 2003. Osaka, Japan: Osaka, Conference publications.

20.

Yang

Cheng

(2005) Solar cells. Science Development 390: 51–55 [in Chinese].

21.

Wikipedia (2011) Solar energy. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy (accessed 03 March 2011).