Recycling Technologies for Silicon Solar Modules

Recycling Technologies for Silicon Solar Modules

The objective of this project is to develop a ready-to-commercialize recycling process to recover materials from silicon modules: solar-grade silicon, lead, silver, tin, solar-quality glass cullet, aluminum, and copper. The focus is on a new chemical recycling process to recover solar-grade silicon, lead, silver, tin, and copper from silicon cells.

Upon completion, this project will deliver an optimized chemical recycling process for silicon solar cells extracted from modules. The optimized process will be the basis for designing and constructing a pilot plant for silicon module recycling at 100,000 modules/year in the U.S. which recovers solar-grade silicon, lead, silver, solar-quality glass cullet, aluminum, copper, and tin from silicon modules. This project will increase secondary materials recovery by about 0.2MMT, embodied energy savings of 22PJ, and GHG emissions reduction of 1.106MMT. Assumptions based on recycling 20% of the expected EOL solar panels in the U.S. in 2030.

Project Team:
Arizona State University (ASU), First Solar Inc., TG Companies LLC

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21-01-RR-5014

Development of Manufacturing Technologies to Increase Scrap Steel Recycling into New Tires

Development of Manufacturing Technologies to Increase Scrap Steel Recycling into New Tires

This project seeks to develop innovative processing technologies that can enable a greater rate of recycling of steel scrap into the manufacturing of new tires. The goal of this proposal is to increase the scrap recycling rate from 20% to 80%. During the cold drawing process, the fine wires are subjected to high levels of stresses that are known to generate wire breakage when impurity levels such as Cu or Sn are too high.

Upon completion, this project will develop thermal and chemical processing techniques to ameliorate the micro-structure to tolerate higher Cu contents. This project will reduce primary feedstock by 0.682 million metric tons (MMT) of steel, 10.7 PJ energy reduction, 1.19 MMCO2e. Assumptions based on U.S. tire production and increase in recycled steel use from 20 to 80%.

Project Team:
Arizona State University (ASU), Michelin North America, Inc.

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21-01-MM-5005

Analysis and Design for Sustainable Circularity of Barrier Film in Sheet Molding Composites

Analysis and Design for Sustainable Circularity of Barrier Film in Sheet Molding Composites

This project seeks to develop 1) data and models about alternatives for recycling, reusing, or replacing the current nylon-based SMC barrier film, and 2) an approach, database, and software for the design of sustainable and circular networks of this barrier film.

Project Team:
The Ohio State University (OSU), Kohler Co., National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Arizona State University (ASU)

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20-01-DE-4103