L R AS Published on Sunday 24 September 2023 - n° 458 - Categories:panels
To recycle the components of panels at the end of their life cycle, all you have to do is use supercritical water!
To recycle the components of panels at the end of their life, all you have to do is use supercritical water!
Supercritical water is water heated and pressurised above its normal boiling point. In this state, it has unique properties
which makes it a powerful solvent. "Water reaches the supercritical state when the temperature and pressure exceed 374.3 C and 22.1 MPa respectively. Its physicochemical properties are then quite different, favouring the decomposition of dangerous and persistent organic compounds.
458 water
The proposed process does not require toxic or hazardous chemicals.
With this method, the solar cells are first broken into small pieces and placed in a reactor. This reactor is constantly fed with water, which is heated and pressurised to a supercritical state. This process produces gaseous, liquid and solid products.
The researchers achieved an organic degradation rate of 99.6% at 550°C, with a reaction time in the reactor of 60 minutes, a volumetric flow rate ofof 10 ml/m and a feed solution consisting of an aqueous mixture, with a solution of residual organic compound and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2/Rorg).
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/09/21/recycling-solar-panels-via-supercritical-water-tech/
PV Magazine of 21 September 2023
