PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Photovoltaic (PV) panels are among the most widely installed renewable energy technologies worldwide since 2000, reaching a cumulative global capacity of 1.6 terawatt of installed power in 2023.
Photovoltaic panels have a typical lifespan of 20-30 years and this poses a serious challenge in the management of end-of- life (EoL) PV panels, which needs to be correctly disposed and recycled. In the next 15 years, more than 2 million tonnes of PV panels are expected to be collected for recycling. According to the International Energy Agency, PV module waste will grow exponentially reaching 1.7 to 8 million tonnes by 2030 and 60-78 million tonnes by 2050.
Starting from 2018, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive (WEEE 2021/19/EU), has set for photovoltaic panels the target for the recovery of EoL PV panels to 85% and 90% the reuse and recycling.
However, the correct management of end-of-life PV panels poses significant environmental, logistical and economic challenges, regarding the extractions of valuable material fractions.
The existing recycling process for silicon-based PV modules focuses mainly on recovering glass, copper, and aluminium, but the recovery of high-purity silicon and, at the same time silver, remains a significant challenge.
Several industrial initiatives, also funded by EC programmes, demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of recycling silicon from EoL PV modules, but their readiness level remains low, and the scalability of some processes limited. In addition, the process to recover high-purity materials often involves hazardous substances posing environmental risks.
Therefore, a reliable technology is needed to recycle photovoltaic panels, ensuring the maximum recovery of materials, sustainable and protecting the environment, contributing to the circular economy.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE SIRCULAR project aims at demonstrating and developing to industrial scale a multi-step recycling process of end-of-life photovoltaic materials. The process integrates a physical and hydrometallurgical treatments, with the aim to optimise the extraction of silicon with a high purity level and silver at the same time.The innovative approach will improve the resource recovery, optimise the waste management, reduce the generation of hazardous material, reduce energy consumption and wastewater generation, with the following specific objectives:
- Optimisation of two Si laminates separation lines of 2,000 tonnes/year at Circular Silicon Europe (CSE) premises and 8,000 tonnes/year at CSE customer’s premises, ensuring a total output of 1,500 tonnes/year of selected silicon at 90% purity level.
- Implementation of a silicon refining process of 500 tonnes/year for obtaining silicon at 99% purity at CSE premises.
- Design and construction of a hydrometallurgical plant of 1,500 tonnes/year for processing the selected silicon to extract 99% purity of silicon and silver at Orim premises.
- Patent validation of the new technologies developed by the project.
- Development of a business plan with a strong market impact.
- Circularity analysis and definition of circularity indexes for the whole sector in line with EU standard ISO 59020:2024.
RESULTS
The following results by the end of the project are expected:
- New technology to extract high purity silicon and silver validated at industrial scale
- Proposed definition of circularity indexes for the whole sector in line with EU standard ISO 59020:2024, to stimulate a reduction in the environmental impacts linked to this sector
- Recycling of 7,000 tonnes of laminates, granulates, and flakes with a high silicon content from PV recyclers
- Recovery from high silicon content material of 1,500 tonnes of low purity silicon (90%), 300 tonnes of high purity silicon (99%) and 500 tonnes of CuAg
- Recovery of 1.25 tonnes of silver and recycling of 450 tonnes of rough silicon
- Reduction in water consumption of 500,000 cubic meters
- Reduction of energy consumption of 63.5 GWh
- Reduction of 13,300 tonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases emissions