Recycling Background

The photovoltaic (PV) industry has experienced unprecedented expansion as global demand for renewable energy continues to grow. However, this trend also signals that a large number of early installed PV systems are about to reach the end of their useful life, creating a wave of decommissioning. As a result, the recycling of used solar panels has become an urgent and specialized issue.

Recycling Value

Raw materials recovered from solar panels are of significant value, mainly including silicon, aluminum, glass and copper.

Silicon: As the core of solar panels, recycling silicon saves resources, reduces energy consumption and pollution during mining and processing, and recycled silicon can be used to make new panels or other electronic products.
Aluminum: Commonly used in bezels and brackets, recycling aluminum can significantly reduce the need for aluminum ore mining and reduce carbon emissions, and recycled aluminum can be re-melted into aluminum products.
Glass: Protecting battery cells, recycled glass reduces reliance on virgin glass minerals, and recycled glass can be used in construction, automobiles, and more.
Copper: As a conductive material, recycled copper saves resources and reduces costs, and recycled copper can be used in the manufacture of electrical products.

Recycling process

Pretreatment:
Remove dust, dirt and other impurities from the surface of the battery board.
Use cutting tools (e.g. saws, scissors, etc.) to cut the battery board into smaller pieces for subsequent processing.
Dismantling and separation:
Use professional dismantling equipment (e.g. crusher, separator, etc.) to dismantle the pre-treated battery boards.
Separate the glass, aluminum frame, battery cells and other components in the battery panel by mechanical force.
Glass recycling:
The separated glass is cleaned and decontaminated to remove the EVA adhesive film and other impurities attached to the surface.
The cleaned glass can be reused as a building material or as a raw material for other glass products.
Aluminum frame recycling:
Aluminum frames are usually more intact and can be recycled directly.
Recycled aluminum can be used to make new aluminum products such as doors, windows, and building materials.
Battery cell recycling:
Silicon wafers in batteries are one of the main focuses of recycling. The silicon wafers are separated from the backsheet and EVA layer by mechanical means.
Separated wafers require further processing (e.g. cleaning, crushing, sieving, etc.) to remove impurities and contaminants attached to the surface.

Recycling Advantages

Highly efficient automated processing: Modern machinery and equipment use advanced automation technology to quickly and accurately complete the disassembly, sorting and separation of solar panels. This efficient processing significantly shortens the recycling cycle, improves work efficiency, and reduces the complexity and error rate of manual operation.
High recycling rate and material purity: The machinery and equipment are able to maximize the recovery of useful materials in solar panels, such as high-purity silicon, aluminum frames, and glass, through precise separation techniques during the recycling process.
Flexibility and customizability: The mechanical equipment has a high degree of flexibility and customizability when recycling solar panels. Different models and specifications of solar panels require different recycling and processing solutions, and modern mechanical equipment can be customized and optimized to meet the recycling needs in different scenarios.

Processing Video

Processing machine

Frame remover