Mingxing Huang, Qingming Song, Yuting Wang, Ya Liu, Zhenming Xu
{"title":"Thermostatic pyrolysis decapsulation and pollution control of waste crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels: Kinetic analysis and organics evolution","authors":"Mingxing Huang, Qingming Song, Yuting Wang, Ya Liu, Zhenming Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113765","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid expansion of photovoltaics is anticipated to result in a substantial accumulation of waste crystalline silicon photovoltaics (c-Si PV) panels that composed of glass, silicon wafers, and backsheets. Given its ultra-thin, highly laminated, multi-layered structures encapsulated with polymers, decapsulation is essential for subsequent component separation and recovery. Pyrolysis has emerged as a promising method for decapsulation, yet current research is limited to thermal decomposition of waste c-Si PV panels during the slow heating pyrolysis process, the kinetic mechanism and organics evolution necessary remain unknown. This study proposed the thermostatic pyrolysis of waste c-Si PV panels, and investigated kinetics analysis and organics evolution for efficient decapsulation and pollution control. Our results indicated that decapsulation efficiency can reach 98 % at 600 °C within 7 min, and conformed to the Avrami-Erofeev model, which predicts decapsulation performance across different scenarios well. The thermostatic pyrolysis process generates acetic acid, hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, and fluorine-containing substances, all of which can be converted and utilized for pollution control. Further environmental impact assessments demonstrate its minimized environmental impacts over conventional ones. This work provides a viable pathway for the efficient and environmental-friendly decapsulation of waste c-Si PV panels, thereby promoting the development of waste c-Si PV panels recycling industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 113765"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Solar Energy","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038092X25005286","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENERGY & FUELS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The rapid expansion of photovoltaics is anticipated to result in a substantial accumulation of waste crystalline silicon photovoltaics (c-Si PV) panels that composed of glass, silicon wafers, and backsheets. Given its ultra-thin, highly laminated, multi-layered structures encapsulated with polymers, decapsulation is essential for subsequent component separation and recovery. Pyrolysis has emerged as a promising method for decapsulation, yet current research is limited to thermal decomposition of waste c-Si PV panels during the slow heating pyrolysis process, the kinetic mechanism and organics evolution necessary remain unknown. This study proposed the thermostatic pyrolysis of waste c-Si PV panels, and investigated kinetics analysis and organics evolution for efficient decapsulation and pollution control. Our results indicated that decapsulation efficiency can reach 98 % at 600 °C within 7 min, and conformed to the Avrami-Erofeev model, which predicts decapsulation performance across different scenarios well. The thermostatic pyrolysis process generates acetic acid, hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, and fluorine-containing substances, all of which can be converted and utilized for pollution control. Further environmental impact assessments demonstrate its minimized environmental impacts over conventional ones. This work provides a viable pathway for the efficient and environmental-friendly decapsulation of waste c-Si PV panels, thereby promoting the development of waste c-Si PV panels recycling industry.
期刊介绍:
Solar Energy welcomes manuscripts presenting information not previously published in journals on any aspect of solar energy research, development, application, measurement or policy. The term "solar energy" in this context includes the indirect uses such as wind energy and biomass