A joint initiative of 16 European companies and research institutes is developing technology to recover and recycle waste generated by the photovoltaics (PV) industry. CABRISS (implementation of a circular economy Source: SPIREbased on recycled, reused and recovered indium, silicon and silver for photovoltaic and other applications) was launched to optimize applicable recycling procedures to support recovery of 85% of PV waste and reuse 80% of such materials in accordance with the EU’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

The delamination and recovery of silver, indium, silicon and high-purity glass from end-of-life thin films and silicon-based modules has been demonstrated. Thin film modules are opened with laser technology to prevent material damage and yield increased value for recycled glass. Silicon-based modules are processed with a water-based technique that also limits glass breakage and enables recovery of materials.

Silicon recovered from wafers and cells broken during production results in solid waste from PVs that is purified to solar-grade (5N-grade) by pyro- and hydro-metallurgical processes for direct reuse in the PV industry. The technology is also applicable to dry Si powder PV production waste, known as kerf, recovered from material lost during the cutting process.