Photo: University of Kansas
Engineers installed solar panels on the roof, and Hongda Zhu, a postdoctoral researcher at KU's Center for Green Catalysis, set up a laboratory reactor to process the sample material in this image.
The University of Kansas is part of a $1.3 million federal grant to help solve a problem resulting from the growing use of solar panels: what to do with them after they expire.
KU is one of a trio of organizations that have received a grant from the US Department of Energy to develop an affordable way to recycle solar panels.
KU's Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis is working in collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory and First Solar Inc. to study this issue. Bala Subramaniam, director of the CEBC, says there is a lot at stake in finding better ways to recycle the panels.
“Efficient recycling of solar panels will be key as the industry grows to ensure availability of critical components, reduce waste and control costs,” Subramaniam said. “It is important to address this issue now to avoid the kind of pollution we currently face from plastic waste.”
Solar panels can be difficult to recycle because they contain layers of glass, adhesive, metal and semiconductor. Rare metals are in high demand in tiles, but current recycling methods require the use of harsh chemicals. It is currently estimated that less than 10% of the country's decommissioned solar panels can be recycled.
The KU project aims to develop processes that use ozone instead of harsh chemicals to recover precious metals. The project involves developing the system in a laboratory, but also explores ways to scale up the system for use in the solar industry.
If successful, the new system will not only lead to a cheaper option, but also a faster recycling option.
