9 Sustainable Attainment of Solar E-waste …
227
Table 9.3 PV module waste recycling technologies [16, 22]
Technology
Advantages
Disadvantages
Filtration
1. Efficient
2. Able to filter particles with
minimal inclusions
1. In industrial practice,
pollution from the container
must be reduced before
filtration can be used
Centrifugation
1. High purity of Silicon
Recovered
1. Uses toxic heavy liquid
2. Process is slow
3. Unable to extract c-Si
particles from submicron
Phase-transfer separation
1. Strong purity and reclaimed
silicon yield
2. No heavy toxic substance
used
3. Simple and cost–effective
–
Electrophoresis and
gravitational settling
1. High efficiency of
separating Si/Al 2 O 3
1. Contamination of Al in
silicon recycled
Electrical field
1.High efficiency of separating
Si/SiC
2.No hard, poisonous liquid
used
1. Metal impurity removal
pretreatment needed
Al–Si alloying
1. Complete omission of SiC 1. The Process is complicated
Hydrobromination
1. High-purity Si recovery
without SiC extracted first
–
Supercritical water
1. High-purity Si recovery
from oily silicon ingot
cutting wastes
–
Sedimentation and leaching
1. Separation of Si and SiC by
physical approaches
2. Less complicated operation
and simpler to produce
–
Czochralski mono c-Si
process
1. Low power consumption
1. Recovery of c-Si Mono
2. Lowering the boron
concentration to increase
cell performance
Electrokinetic separation
1. High efficiency of removal
of iron particles in slurry
wastes
2. Does not use additives
–
Hydrometallurgy: oxidation,
evaporation, reduction by
inorganic reducing agents
1. Recovery of high pure
selenium which can be used
directly in new solar cells
–
(continued)
227
Table 9.3 PV module waste recycling technologies [16, 22]
Technology
Advantages
Disadvantages
Filtration
1. Efficient
2. Able to filter particles with
minimal inclusions
1. In industrial practice,
pollution from the container
must be reduced before
filtration can be used
Centrifugation
1. High purity of Silicon
Recovered
1. Uses toxic heavy liquid
2. Process is slow
3. Unable to extract c-Si
particles from submicron
Phase-transfer separation
1. Strong purity and reclaimed
silicon yield
2. No heavy toxic substance
used
3. Simple and cost–effective
–
Electrophoresis and
gravitational settling
1. High efficiency of
separating Si/Al 2 O 3
1. Contamination of Al in
silicon recycled
Electrical field
1.High efficiency of separating
Si/SiC
2.No hard, poisonous liquid
used
1. Metal impurity removal
pretreatment needed
Al–Si alloying
1. Complete omission of SiC 1. The Process is complicated
Hydrobromination
1. High-purity Si recovery
without SiC extracted first
–
Supercritical water
1. High-purity Si recovery
from oily silicon ingot
cutting wastes
–
Sedimentation and leaching
1. Separation of Si and SiC by
physical approaches
2. Less complicated operation
and simpler to produce
–
Czochralski mono c-Si
process
1. Low power consumption
1. Recovery of c-Si Mono
2. Lowering the boron
concentration to increase
cell performance
Electrokinetic separation
1. High efficiency of removal
of iron particles in slurry
wastes
2. Does not use additives
–
Hydrometallurgy: oxidation,
evaporation, reduction by
inorganic reducing agents
1. Recovery of high pure
selenium which can be used
directly in new solar cells
–
(continued)