Fully automated PV module recycling line

The aluminium frame provides the module’s mechanical stability, protects the glass edge, and makes installation and transport easier. For recyclers, aluminium is a valuable metal stream — but only if it is discharged with as little glass contamination as possible.

Why is this relevant for recycling?

• Purity = revenue: glass residues in the profile reduce the quality of the metal stream and increase rework.
• Process goal: remove the frame as controlled as possible and — depending on the module condition — apply post-cleaning to minimize glass residues.

Typical specifics

• Frame profiles vary by manufacturer and generation (geometry, corner joints, seals).
• With broken glass, shards often get “wedged” into the frame groove — and that is exactly where purity losses typically occur in practice.

The front glass provides most of the module’s mechanical protection and ensures high light transmission. It is typically tempered solar glass and represents the largest mass share of the module.

Why is this relevant for recycling?

• Mass driver: glass is the largest output stream — therefore glass quality strongly influences overall economics.
• Quality lever: “clean” glass (low polymer/cell-material residues) is far easier to valorize than mixed glass.

Typical challenges

• Broken modules create a wide particle-size distribution; fine fractions increase dust and handling effort.
• Glass is tightly bonded to the encapsulant — without an effective separation step it remains “composite” material.

The encapsulation material is the transparent layer between the glass and the solar cells. It provides adhesion, cushioning, and protection against moisture, oxygen, and mechanical stress. In short, it permanently “glues” the module layers together.

Common materials

• EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate): very common (standard for many years).
• POE (polyolefin elastomer): more common in newer modules, partly due to better moisture/PID resistance.
• Mixed/co-extrudates also exist, depending on the manufacturer and generation.

Why is this so important? (also for service life)

• The encapsulant protects the cells and solder joints from corrosion/moisture.
• Aging (e.g., yellowing, embrittlement, delamination) can significantly affect performance and safety.

Why is it a recycling challenge?

• The encapsulant is specifically designed to adhere permanently between the glass and the cells.
• It is thermally and chemically stable enough to withstand 25–30 years of outdoor use.
• Otherwise, separation results in mixed fractions (glass + polymer + cell residues) that are more difficult to recycle.

The solar cells are the active part that converts light into electricity. In standard modules, these are usually silicon cells with metal contacts and busbars.

Why is this relevant for recycling?

• Value lies in small proportions: Metallic components (e.g., silver in contacts, copper in conductors/ribbons) are valuable, even though they make up only a small proportion of the total mass.
• Cells are fragile—if processed incorrectly, they turn into fine material that is more difficult to sort.

Typical challenges

• Different cell technologies/generations (e.g., M-types, half cells, different metallization) change downstream recycling.
• Cell material is embedded in the laminate – without clean separation, it remains part of a composite fraction.

The second encapsulant layer connects cells to the backsheet. Functionally similar to the above: mechanical protection, adhesion, and electrical insulation in combination with the backsheet.

Why is this relevant for recycling?

• This layer is part of the laminate/composite fraction (encapsulant + cells + backsheet).
• The thickness and material properties of the encapsulation material also influence the recycling process.

Typical challenges

• Aging can change adhesion: sometimes the laminate can be removed more easily, sometimes it “sticks” more strongly (different manufacturers/BOMs).
• Thermal processes must be carried out in such a way that glass quality and polymer/cell fraction are not unnecessarily mixed.

The backsheet is the protective layer on the rear side. It provides electrical insulation, protection against moisture/UV rays, and mechanical robustness. Depending on the design, this is either a polymer film (typical for glass backsheet modules) or a second glass pane (glass-glass modules).

Common materials

• Multi-layer films, often based on PVF/PVDF or other polymer barrier/protective layers (depending on generation/manufacturer).
• Additives/coatings for UV stability and barrier properties.

Why is this relevant for recycling?

• The backsheet is part of the laminate and has a significant influence on separability.
• In older modules, certain material systems can be more problematic (e.g., increased embrittlement, cracks, delamination) – this changes the process and the output quality.