Re-cycling of silicon PV modules using high temperature water vapor

摘要

A new recycling technology for the recovery of silicon cell in a high temperature water vapor stream is proposed. In this process, EVA polymer as the encapsulating material for PV modules is decomposed and trapped at the down stream with no organic compounds releasing in gas phase. The decomposed material was found to be jelly-like polymer with the number-average molecular weight under 2000. The module performance after the treatment showed some degradation, so further assessment of the silicon cell is needed to confirm the feasibility of this recycling method.