Combustion Based Delamination of Si Glass/Glass Photovoltaic Modules

The first step in any recycling value chain for Si based PV modules is the delamination process to detach the glass from solar cell. This process can be done mechanically, by thermal or chemical treatments. In this work detailed analysis of a combustion based delamination of Si glass/glass modules provided by industrial partners has been performed. Conventional pyrolysis oven at temperature around 600 °C has been used to burn EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) and to extract glass and Si based solar cells without any traces of contaminations from the combustion process, which can be realized at normal air conditions. It is established that crushing of PV modules into small pieces is desirable to regulate combustion process which generates intensive flame and extra energy. It is found that the holding time for the combustion process, which can provide full removal of EVA, can be as low as about 5-10 minutes at appropriate temperatures around 600 °C. It is concluded that the proposed approach can be realized in a conveyor furnace, which can operate in air. Experimental results reported in this work can be used to design an automated process for the delamination of Si based glass/glass panels. It is established that the proposed approach provides recovery of more than 90% of the total weight of glass/glass Si based modules. Purity analysis of extracted during delamination process materials have been provided in the poster.

The poster was presented at the 37th EU PVSEC in 2020.