Resource efficient recovery of critical and precious metals from waste silicon PV panel recycling.

ABSTRACT: Although the amount of waste photovoltaic (PV) panels is expected to grow exponentially in the next decades, little research on the resource efficiency of their recycling has been conducted so far. The article analyses the performance of different processes for the recycling of crystalline silicon PV waste, in a life cycle perspective. The life cycle impacts of the recycling are compared, under different scenarios, to the environmental benefits of secondary raw materials recovered. Base-case recycling has a low efficiency and, in some cases, not even in line with legislative targets. Conversely, high-efficient recycling can meet these targets and allows to recover high quality materials (as silicon, glass and silver) that are generally lost in base-case recycling. The benefits due to the r

SUBMITTER: Ardente F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6591708 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature