Recovering valuable materials from end-of-life photovoltaic modules through appropriate separation, treatment and material-recovery technologies.
Discuss Your ProjectThe expansion of photovoltaic energy also creates a growing requirement to manage solar modules when they reach the end of their useful service life.
Rather than treating end-of-life modules solely as waste, recycling technologies can be used to separate and recover selected materials contained within photovoltaic modules.
Ant Spirits is developing solutions for solar panel and photovoltaic recycling, working with customers and technology partners to evaluate appropriate processing and material-recovery concepts.
A photovoltaic module contains several different material groups that need to be separated or treated during recycling.
Glass represents an important material stream within conventional photovoltaic modules.
Crystalline-silicon modules can provide opportunities for recovery of silicon-containing materials.
Aluminium frames can be separated and directed toward appropriate material-recovery routes.
Copper and other metallic components can form part of the recoverable material streams.
Photovoltaic modules are multi-material products, making effective separation an important part of the recycling process.
The encapsulating polymer layers, including EVA in applicable module designs, create an additional separation challenge. Appropriate mechanical, thermal, chemical or combined processing approaches may therefore be required depending on the module and desired recovery objective.
Solar-panel recycling is not necessarily based on a single process. Different technologies or combinations of technologies may be required depending on module construction and recovery objectives.
Mechanical processes can support dismantling, size reduction and material-separation operations.
Thermal processing can form part of selected recycling approaches where bonded material layers need to be addressed.
Chemical processes represent another potential route for separating or recovering selected module components.
Incoming photovoltaic modules
Initial component preparation
Appropriate recovery technology
Glass · Aluminium · Copper · Silicon
The objective of solar-panel recycling is not simply disposal. It is to evaluate how valuable materials from end-of-life photovoltaic modules can be separated and directed toward appropriate recovery and reuse routes.
Ant Spirits aims to support customers by connecting their recycling requirements with suitable technologies and specialist partners.
From end-of-life modules to recoverable resources.
PIR and PCR solutions covering sorting, washing, extrusion, degassing, filtration, compounding and pelletizing.
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Thermal decomposition, plastic waste pyrolysis and related material valorization for selected waste streams.
Learn MoreTell us about your PV module type, quantity, current condition, required processing capacity and material-recovery objectives.