Method for Recycling Decommissioned Solar Modules and Solar Cells Made of Silicon and Silicon-Containing Components

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This patent describes a method for recycling old or used solar modules, solar cells, and silicon-containing components. The process involves separating high-purity silicon from the waste materials, treating it with specific chemicals (chloromethane and/or dichloromethane and hydrogen) in the presence of a catalyst at high temperatures to create valuable methylchlorosilanes, and then recovering these by distillation. Any leftover solids are sent for metal recycling.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Recycling decommissioned solar panels and silicon-based solar cells from solar farms or residential installations
• Recovering high-purity silicon for use in new photovoltaic cell production
• Producing methylchlorosilanes as precursors for the chemical industry
• Managing electronic waste from silicon-containing devices efficiently

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables the recovery and reuse of high-purity silicon from old solar modules, reducing resource waste
• Provides a pathway for solar panel end-of-life management, supporting sustainability in renewable energy technologies
• Generates valuable chemical products (methylchlorosilanes) that can be used in other industrial applications
• Reduces the environmental impact of electronic waste by recycling both silicon and metals

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The method comprises separating a cell breakage having a silicon content of greater than 98 mass% from starting materials, and treating the cell breakage with chloromethane and/or dichloromethane and hydrogen in the presence of catalyst during Mueller Rochow synthesis at a temperature of 350-650[deg] C. The formed gaseous methylchlorosilanes are separated by distillation. Solids remaining in a reactor are fed to the metal recycling. The starting materials are treated at a temperature of 400-550[deg] C.