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SILVER RECOVERY FROM END-OF-LIFE PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS

  • Larisse Suzy Silva de Oliveira - Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Maria Tereza Weitzel Dias Carneiro Lima - Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Luciana Yamane - Department of Environmental Engineer , Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Renato Ribeiro Siman - Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Brazil

DOI 10.31025/2611-4135/2020.13939

Released under CC BY-NC-ND

Copyright: © 2019 CISA Publisher

Abstract

The growth of the photovoltaic sector has stood out among renewable sources of energy, due to technological innovations that have brought about cost reductions. Thus, this paper aimed to analyze the technical feasibility of silver recovery from photovoltaic cells using acid leaching, followed by an evaluation of the chemical and electrochemical precipitation processes to analyze their efficiencies. As a primary objective of this work, the gravimetric composition and the metal concentration (Ag, Al, Pb, Cu, and Fe) in the photovoltaic cells were first determined, developing the basis for future research on photovoltaic panels recycling Subsequently, the influence of HNO3 concentration (1-10 mol/L), temperature (25-60ºC), and reaction time were evaluated. A new research application used a statistical tool, the Central Composite Rotational Design (CCRD), as well as samples of different brands and models of photovoltaic panels, in order to ensure the experimental validity. As a highlight, the analysis of the composition of the photovoltaic cells, applying the HNO2CO3, as well as electroprecipitation, made it possible to extract more than 99% of silver in solution, being a primary novelty of this study. Therefore, the studied pathway allowed for the recovery of 99.98% of the silver present in the photovoltaic cells.

Keywords

Editorial History

  • Received: 11 Nov 2019
  • Revised: 17 Feb 2020
  • Accepted: 24 Feb 2020
  • Available online: 31 Mar 2020

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