LAPSE:2023.36392
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.36392
D-Limonene as a Promising Green Solvent for the Detachment of End-of-Life Photovoltaic Solar Panels under Sonication
July 13, 2023
Consumption of photovoltaic solar panels is expected to increase, so the growing amount of end-of-life (EOL) solar panels will require large spaces for their disposal, which at the moment costs around 200 euros/ton. Thus, a proper treatment technique to recover secondary materials from this waste, which are mainly copper, aluminum, silicon, high-transmittance glass, and plastics, must be developed. The last three components are strongly attached to each other; hence, their detachment is necessary for recovery. To achieve this objective, a chemical route was chosen; in fact, solvent extraction is highly recommended, as it has a high separation efficiency. In this study, D-limonene as a bio-solvent was examined for detaching different components of solar panels from each other. A high efficiency for ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) dissolution and components’ detachment under different conditions was achieved with the help of sonication power. The effects of sonication power, thermal pre-treatment, temperature, and contact time on detachment percentage were examined, and the best conditions (namely, no pre-treatment, medium sonication power of 450 W, temperature of 60 °C, and a contact time of 120 min) were found for total component detachment. Additionally, the recyclability of D-limonene was examined, and it was established that the solvent could carry out 100% component detachment for three cycles.
Keywords
D-limonene, detachment, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), photovoltaic solar panels, recycling, treatment
Suggested Citation
Abdo DM, Mangialardi T, Medici F, Piga L. D-Limonene as a Promising Green Solvent for the Detachment of End-of-Life Photovoltaic Solar Panels under Sonication. (2023). LAPSE:2023.36392
Author Affiliations
Abdo DM: Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute, P.O. Box 87, Helwan, Cairo 11421, Egypt
Mangialardi T: Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Roma, Italy [ORCID]
Medici F: Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Roma, Italy [ORCID]
Piga L: Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Roma, Italy [ORCID]
Journal Name
Processes
Volume
11
Issue
6
First Page
1848
Year
2023
Publication Date
2023-06-19
ISSN
2227-9717
Version Comments
Original Submission
Other Meta
PII: pr11061848, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.36392
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https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061848
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Jul 13, 2023
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CC BY 4.0
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Jul 13, 2023
 
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Calvin Tsay
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