End-of-Life Photovoltaic Panels Recycling: Solid-State Recipes, Environmental Improvement, And Circular Economy

Solar photovoltaic systems have grown very fast in the last twenty years and today constitute a significant portion of the new installations of renewable energies worldwide. While the operation phase of PV modules is widely recognized as environmentally advantageous, much less has been invested into analysis of the implications of largescale module retirements. As the service life of those early installations has come to an end, questions related to material recovery, environmental impact and economic feasibility have become more of the focus. The study provides a review of established recycling methodologies for crystalline silicon, as well as thin-film modules, and a special focus is given particularly to the operational constraints and practical strengths of modules, as well as their weaknesses. A combination of mechanical separation and selective thermal treatment followed by selective chemical extraction is investigated as a hybrid framework evaluated, using indicators of recovery efficiency and demand for energy and potential for reduced emission The results indicate that integrated process design, if combined with the principles of circular economy, can significantly improve the sustainability results in the long-term perspective.