Abstract
The rapid deployment of photovoltaic (PV) systems is projected to generate significant volumes of end-of-life (EoL) modules, necessitating efficient recycling strategies that enable high-value material recovery and reintegration into PV value chain and other high end applications. This study presents an assessment of high-pressure water-jet delamination recycling technology, developed to improve the quality of material recovered from crystalline silicon PV modules. The approach was evaluated at pilot scale for the recovery of high purity silver (Ag), copper (Cu), silicon (Si), glass, and polymer. Material characterization was performed using ICP-MS, XRF, and SEM-EDS to determine elemental composition, morphology, and impurity profiles. The results show that the water-jet approach results in recovery of less cross-contaminated material streams, including Ag-rich fractions that reached up to 97 wt% purity after downstream purification. The recovered silicon from this process contains residual metallization, indicating the need for further refining. This study provides an evaluation of advanced delamination-based recycling route, highlighting the potential to improve material recovery and support the development of circular recycling pathways for PV modules, while indicating the need for further process optimization toward further industrial implementation.