Turning waste photovoltaic panels into treasure-Industry News-Jiangxi Mingxin Metallurgical Equipment Co., Ltd.
Core materials are efficiently recycled, highlighting the value of resources
As the first batch of photovoltaic equipment enters the retirement period, the resource attributes of used photovoltaic panels are being deeply explored. Data shows that crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules contain a variety of high-value recyclable substances, among which tempered glass accounts for the highest proportion, with aluminum frames making up 10% to 15% of the weight. In addition, they also contain 3.80% silicon, 0.02% silver, as well as copper, plastic and other components. These materials can be efficiently extracted and recycled through mature processes: After processing, glass can be reused in the production of photovoltaic glass or the construction industry. Aluminum and copper can be returned to the industrial manufacturing system. Silicon materials can be purified and reused in the production of silicon wafers. Silver can be refined into precious metals with a purity of over 99.9%. One ton of waste boards can be refined into 180-220 grams of silver, and the value of a single ton of precious metals exceeds 1,000 yuan. If calculated based on the cumulative retirement of 4 million tons of components in China by 2030, over 3 million tons of various materials such as glass, aluminum, copper, silicon and silver can be recycled, indicating considerable potential for resource recovery.
Technological breakthroughs have solved the recycling problem, and domestic equipment has been effectively implemented
At present, the comprehensive recovery technology system of "physical + pyrolysis + chemical purification" has gradually been applied on a large scale, and significant progress has been made in the core industry problem of improving the separation accuracy and purity of materials. In the pilot production lines for photovoltaic module recycling in some regions of the country, the recovery rates of aluminum frames, junction boxes and intact glass are expected to reach 100%, the purity of silicon materials can be increased to over 99.99%, the mass recovery rate of complete line components can reach 94.272%, and the dust collection efficiency can also reach 99.8%. It can be compatible with the processing of intact and broken modules of different sizes. The research and development of related technologies has achieved 74 patent results, making certain breakthroughs in breaking through foreign technological barriers. At the same time, it has promoted the localization of recycling equipment, laying a solid technical foundation for the large-scale development of the industry.
Closed-loop circulation promotes green development, and industry norms are accelerating their improvement
The recycling of used photovoltaic panels not only creates significant economic value for the market, but also helps to build a green closed loop throughout the entire photovoltaic industry chain. By recycling and regenerating silicon materials, the reliance on primary mineral resources can be reduced to a certain extent, the energy consumption and carbon emissions in the silicon material production process can be decreased, and at the same time, standardized recycling and treatment can effectively reduce the environmental risks that may be brought by substances such as lead and fluoropolymers. Policies and the market are gradually forming a dual-driven situation: The "two new" policies have included the recycling of photovoltaic equipment in the key support scope, and 43 relevant national standards have been officially released and implemented. It is widely expected in the industry that with the continuous integration and upgrading of technologies and the continuous optimization of production capacity layout, recycled materials are expected to achieve stepwise utilization in the future. Silicon powder, glass, etc. may be converted into building fillers, and purified silicon materials also have the possibility of being upgraded to semiconductor-grade materials, promoting the photovoltaic industry to gradually leap from "green manufacturing" to "green throughout the entire life cycle".
