Recycling of waste materials from solar photovoltaic panels: A Bangladesh perspective

Bangladesh's ambitious clean energy transition, targeting 40% renewable electricity by 2041, is paradoxically generating a critical waste challenge, with a projected 196,250 t of end‐of‐life photovoltaic (PV) panels expected by 2045. This study addresses the impending environmental and public health crisis posed by landfilling this waste, which risks leaching heavy metals and causing chronic silicosis from silica dust. This PV panels' waste challenge can be handled by utilizing advanced recycling technologies, with estimated recoverable materials including 85,837.78 t glass, 9309.53 t aluminum, 4928.51 t silicon, 906.023 t copper, and 7688.05 t plastic, representing 93.3% recovery potential. This study reviews global PV recycling methods (physical separation via high‐voltage pulse crushing, chemical etching, and thermal treatment) and adapts them to Bangladesh's crystalline silicon‐dominated waste stream. It proposes a tailored collection infrastructure for urban–rural settings, identifies policy gaps in existing e‐waste regulations, and recommends extended producer responsibility, incentives for circular economy (CE) integration, and end‐uses like glass in construction and silicon in semiconductors. Findings underscore environmental risks from heavy metal leaching and opportunities for resource security, urging scalable, cost‐effective recycling to mitigate landfill burdens and foster sustainable development. This Bangladesh‐centric framework advances CE principles in emerging markets.