Recycling and Life Cycle Assessment of Silicon Photovoltaic Modules
This community focuses on the end-of-life management of solar panels, specifically the recovery of silicon and trace metals, and the environmental evaluation of these recycling processes.
The work centers on dismantling crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules to recover high-value materials. Recurring methods include acid leaching, solvent extraction, and diamond wire cutting to separate silicon, silver, indium, gallium, and germanium. A significant portion of the research applies life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental impact of these recycling routes compared to virgin material production. The community also addresses the circular economy aspects of solar energy, examining how waste streams from manufacturing and decommissioning can be processed into reusable silicon powder or refined metals. Applications range from recovering silver from cell ribbons to extracting germanium from concentrates, with a strong emphasis on reducing the ecological footprint of the solar supply chain.
The largest share of the community's output is found in silicon research, accounting for 40.4% of all silicon research tracked, and 1,578 papers here. Indium research also features prominently, representing 0.9% of that element's total research with 1,366 papers.
The community comprises 7,196 papers, publishing most frequently in Separation and Purification Technology, Silicon, and Hydrometallurgy.
Recent work continues to focus on optimizing recycling techniques, such as using green solvents for decapsulation and laser-based processing for end-of-life panels. Studies also examine the techno-economic viability of these methods and the supply pressures for materials like tin and indium under large-scale photovoltaic deployment.