Hydrometallurgical Treatment for the Extraction and Separation of Indium and Gallium from End-of-Life CIGS Photovoltaic Panels

This study presents experimental results for the development of a process for the recovery of indium and gallium from EoL CIGS (CuGa1−xInxSe2) panels. The process consists of a thermal treatment of the panels, followed by a hydrometallurgical treatment, where quantitative leaching of In, Ga, Mo, Cu and Zn is achieved. The elements are subsequently separated and recovered from the leachate by solvent extraction. For the development of the process, samples of EoL CIGS PV panels were used, which contained a thin film of Mo (metal base electrode), sputtered on the supporting soda-lime glass and covered by the thin film containing In, Ga, Cu and Se (1 μm). These films were detected by SEM-EDS in polished sections. The thermal treatment at 550 °C for 15 min, in excess of air, led to the successful disintegration of ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) and delamination of the thin film-coated glass from the front protective glass. The glass fragments coated by the thin film contained the following: Se: 0.03–0.05%; In: 0.02%; Cu: 0.05%; Ga: 0.004–0.006%; and Mo: 0.04%. Following thermal treatment, thin film-coated glass fragments of about 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm were used in acid leaching experiments using HNO3, HCl and H2SO4. Quantitative leaching of Cu, Ga, In, Mo, Zn and Cu was achieved by HNO3 at ambient temperature. The effects of pulp density and acid concentration on the efficiency of metal leaching were investigated. Part of Se volatilized during the thermal treatment, whereas the rest was insoluble and separated from the solution by filtration. Finally, the separation of the elements was achieved via solvent extraction by D2EHPA.