- PV Module Regeneration: Using diamond tool stripping technology, 99% of the tempered glass can be completely recovered. After residual adhesive film is removed through acid-base cleaning, the iron content of this glass is less than 0.013% and its purity reaches over 96%, which can be directly remelted to produce new PV cover glass. Compared with using raw quartz sand, this process reduces energy consumption by 40%.
- Building Materials: Crushed glass particles can be used to manufacture sound insulation materials, building wall aggregates, or road base materials. For instance, the recycled glass from Solarcycle has been verified to be applicable for producing high-quality PV glass panels, with an iron content so low that it does not affect light transmittance.
- PV Cell Remanufacturing: Through chemical cleaning and plasma etching technology, the purity of recycled silicon material can be increased to over 99.99%. Enterprises such as Trina Solar have successfully used recycled silicon wafers to manufacture TOPCon PV modules with a conversion efficiency of 20.7%. Approximately 240-300 kg of silicon material can be extracted from one tonne of waste PV panels, which is equivalent to reducing quartz sand mining by 500,000 tonnes.
- Semiconductor Field: Some high-purity silicon materials (e.g., purity ≥ 99.9999%) can be used to produce semiconductor devices, but further purification to electronic-grade standards is required.
- Aluminum Frame Regeneration: A PV panel aluminum frame remover is used to separate the frame from the main body, achieving a 100% recovery rate. The purity of recycled aluminum can reach 99.7%, which is reused to manufacture PV frames, automotive parts, or construction profiles. Each tonne of recycled aluminum reduces carbon emissions by 95%.
- Silver Paste Recovery: Through the nitric acid leaching-electrolytic reduction process, the purity of silver powder reaches 99.99%. 4-5 kg of silver can be extracted from one tonne of PV panels, which is used to reprocess PV silver paste and reduce the consumption of precious metals. For example, an enterprise used wet extraction technology to recover 130 kg of pure silver from 200 kg of waste silver paste, with a value of nearly 400,000 yuan.
- Copper and Solder Strips: Copper solder strips are separated through magnetic separation and screening, with purity meeting standard requirements. They can be used in the manufacturing of wires, cables, or electronic components.
- EVA Adhesive Film Regeneration: EVA adhesive film is separated using pyrolysis or green solvents (e.g., citric acid solution). The pyrolysis products can be made into environmentally friendly recycled plastic pellets, which are used to manufacture cable protective sleeves, automotive interior parts, or composite materials. Some enterprises use chemical modification technology to composite recycled EVA with nanomaterials, improving its weather resistance and mechanical properties for reuse in PV encapsulation.
- Backsheet Recovery: After mechanical crushing and pyrolysis of TPT/PVF backsheets, fluoroplastic films can be separated and used to manufacture corrosion-resistant pipes or linings for chemical equipment.
- Recovery of Silver and Lead: Silver in silver paste can be directly reused in PV production after electrolytic refining; heavy metals such as lead are converted into lead oxide (PbO) through the selective leaching-precipitation process, which is used to manufacture lead-acid batteries or ceramic pigments, reducing toxicity risks.
- Environmental Protection Treatment: A closed waste gas treatment system is adopted throughout the recovery process. Acidic gases are removed through activated carbon adsorption and alkali solution neutralization to ensure emissions meet standards.
Jiangxi Mingxin Environmental Protection adopts an integrated recovery process of "physical disassembly + pyrolysis + chemical purification", with a comprehensive PV module recovery rate of over 92%. Its independently developed equipment, such as PV panel aluminum frame removers and four-axis shredders, can adapt to modules of different sizes and achieve large-scale processing. Through cooperation with PV enterprises, recycled materials can directly enter the upper stream of the industrial chain—for example, recycled silicon material is supplied to silicon wafer manufacturers—forming a circular economy.
- Resource Substitution: One tonne of waste PV panels can reduce silicon material procurement costs by approximately 1,500 US dollars and aluminum material costs by 2,000 US dollars.
- Emission Reduction Effect: Using recycled silicon wafers to produce PV modules can reduce carbon emissions by 55%. Processing 10,000 retired PV panels can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 tonnes.
- Industrial Upgrading: PV panel recovery technology promotes the transformation of the industry towards green manufacturing, which is in line with policies such as the EU WEEE Directive and China's Interim Measures for the Management of the Recycling and Utilization of Waste Power Batteries of New Energy Vehicles.
The recovery system of Jiangxi Mingxin Environmental Protection covers over 90% of the materials in PV panels, realizing high-value reuse of materials ranging from glass, silicon, and metals to polymer materials. This process not only avoids pollution caused by landfilling and incineration but also provides a sustainable raw material supply for the PV industry, making it a key link in promoting the achievement of the "dual carbon" goals (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality).
