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1. Technologies for Profitable Recycling of Si Modules

   Tao, C; Huang, WH; Zhou, Z; Lyu, R; Ricci, L; Tezak, C; Jaubert, JN; Tao, M (December 2019, Technologies for Profitable Recycling of Si Modules, Proceedings of 29th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference)

   Solar module recycling is unprofitable today. In this paper potential revenues from waste Si modules are analyzed. The biggest revenue potential comes from the Si cells, extracted intact or broken. The second revenue source is the bulky materials in the modules including Al frame, Cu wiring and glass. The total revenue is estimated between US$11–30/module depending on the percentage of cells extracted intact. This revenue is 4–10 times better than today’s recycling process that recovers only the bulky materials. Experimentally a special furnace has been demonstrated to successfully separate thin commercial Si cells of 160 microns from glass unbroken. From damaged cells a new chemistry has been developed to recover solar-grade Si and Ag. It requires fewer steps than today’s recycling process, with Ag recovery of 97% and Si recovery of 90%. A prototype recycling line is needed to assess the cost of the new process. 

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2. Recycling lead and transparent conductors from perovskite solar modules

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26121-1  

   Chen, Bo; Fei, Chengbin; Chen, Shangshang; Gu, Hangyu; Xiao, Xun; Huang, Jinsong (December 2021, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Perovskite photovoltaics are gaining increasing common ground to partner with or compete with silicon photovoltaics to reduce cost of solar energy. However, a cost-effective waste management for toxic lead (Pb), which might determine the fate of this technology, has not been developed yet. Here, we report an end-of-life material management for perovskite solar modules to recycle toxic lead and valuable transparent conductors to protect the environment and create dramatic economic benefits from recycled materials. Lead is separated from decommissioned modules by weakly acidic cation exchange resin, which could be released as soluble Pb(NO 3 ) 2 followed by precipitation as PbI 2 for reuse, with a recycling efficiency of 99.2%. Thermal delamination disassembles the encapsulated modules with intact transparent conductors and cover glasses. The refabricated devices based on recycled lead iodide and recycled transparent conductors show comparable performance as devices based on fresh raw materials. Cost analysis shows this recycling technology is economically attractive. 

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3. Material Requirement and Resource Availability for Silicon Photovoltaic Laminate Manufacturing in the Next 10 Years

   https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC43889.2021.9518663  

   Heidari, Seyed M; Anctil, Annick (June 2021, 2021 IEEE 48th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC))

   Material scarcity is a considerable threat to energy transition towards renewables. Photovoltaics (PV) installations are expected to increase rapidly in the next decade, which may increase the amount of material needed. This study created three scenarios (S 1 , S 2 , & S 3 ) to evaluate the impacts of potential technology improvements on the quantity of materials necessary for manufacturing silicon PV (Si PV) laminate in the next ten years. Our baseline was similar to previous studies, which applied theoretical models on PV historical data and ignored PV technology improvements that can influence future material projections. S 1 considered only market share and module efficiency, while S 2 covered wafer thickness improvements as well. S 3 was the scenario that more likely will occur in the next decade, which included module efficiency, market share, wafer thickness, glass thickness, and potential replacements such as using perovskite/silicon tandem. The material requirement for Si PV laminate manufacturing in S 3 was 22% to 78% lower than the baseline, S 1 , and S 2 . The highest material demand is expected to be for solar glass (74 million metric tons) and Metallurgical grade silicon (3 million metric tons) in the next decade. This study showed the importance of considering technology improvements to project the PV material requirement. 

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4. Single‐Step Electrochemical Battery Recycling

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202511009  

   Sederholm, Jarom_G; Patra, Arghya; Liu, Zheng; Lin, Jr‐Wen; Juarez‐Yescas, Carlos; Wang, Pingfeng; Braun, Paul_V (August 2025, Advanced Functional Materials)

   Abstract Sustainable battery production is a major challenge for the future of electrification with the rise in battery production leading to a massive increase in demand for battery cathode materials. Needed are environmentally responsible ways to recycle used cathodes into new cathodes to create a circular economy for batteries. While some battery recycling and recovery techniques for battery components are developed, they can involve costly and environmentally impactful multi‐step processes. This work demonstrates for the first time the simultaneous dissolution and electrochemical deposition of Li‐ion transition metal oxide cathodes, providing a path to directly fabricate new battery cathodes from old battery cathodes. The LiCoO₂cathodes formed via this recycling process exhibit near‐theoretical capacities, are binder and additive‐free, and are phase pure. Technoeconomic and life cycle analyses show the simultaneous dissolution and electrochemical deposition process is less costly and environmentally harmful than traditional pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and direct recycling methods. This method has major potential impacts and advantages on the industrial scale as it creates battery materials in fewer steps at a lower cost and with a lower environmental impact than current battery recycling methods. 

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5. Materials Discovery of Stable and Nontoxic Halide Perovskite Materials for High‐Efficiency Solar Cells

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201804354  

   Jacobs, Ryan; Luo, Guangfu; Morgan, Dane (April 2019, Advanced Functional Materials)

   Abstract Two critical limitations of organic–inorganic lead halide perovskite materials for solar cells are their poor stability in humid environments and inclusion of toxic lead. In this study, high‐throughput density functional theory (DFT) methods are used to computationally model and screen 1845 halide perovskites in search of new materials without these limitations that are promising for solar cell applications. This study focuses on finding materials that are comprised of nontoxic elements, stable in a humid operating environment, and have an optimal bandgap for one of single junction, tandem Si‐perovskite, or quantum dot–based solar cells. Single junction materials are also screened on predicted single junction photovoltaic (PV) efficiencies exceeding 22.7%, which is the current highest reported PV efficiency for halide perovskites. Generally, these methods qualitatively reproduce the properties of known promising nontoxic halide perovskites that are either experimentally evaluated or predicted from theory. From a set of 1845 materials, 15 materials pass all screening criteria for single junction cell applications, 13 of which are not previously investigated, such as (CH₃NH₃)_0.75Cs_0.25SnI₃, ((NH₂)₂CH)Ag_0.5Sb_0.5Br₃, CsMn_0.875Fe_0.125I₃, ((CH₃)₂NH₂)Ag_0.5Bi_0.5I₃, and ((NH₂)₂CH)_0.5Rb_0.5SnI₃. These materials, together with others predicted in this study, may be promising candidate materials for stable, highly efficient, and nontoxic perovskite‐based solar cells. 

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