Employing supercritical n-butanol to remove the EVA film for the delamination of photovoltaic laminated module

Abstract

The rapid advancement of the photovoltaic (PV) industry has elevated the recycling and reuse of decommissioned PV modules to critical challenges, essential for tackling environmental concerns and achieving resource reutilization. To facilitate the efficient layering of PV modules and recovery of valuable materials, this study proposes a PV module degradation and recycling process utilizing supercritical n-butanol. A systematic evaluation was conducted to assess the effects of various factors on the dissolution ratio of PV modules, with an appropriate range of process parameters selected for optimization. A second-order regression model was developed to predict the dissolution ratio of the EVA film. Comparison of actual dissolution ratio with model predictions confirmed the high accuracy of the fitted model. Finally, characterization and elemental analysis of cells recovered from the supercritical process demonstrated the effectiveness of this recycling method, achieving more thorough degradation on the cell surfaces.