Synthesis of Silicon Carbide Powder Using Recovered Silicon from Solar Waste Silicon Wafer

Abstract

Silicon carbide powder was prepared from carbon black and silicon recovered from waste solar panels. In the solar power generation market, the number of crystalline silicon modules exceeds 90%. As the expiration date of a photovoltaic module arrives, the development of technology for recovering and utilizing silicon is very important from an environmental and economic point of view. In this study, silicon was recovered as silicon carbide from waste solar panels: 99.99% silicon powder was recovered through purification from a 95.74% purity waste silicon wafer. To examine the synthesis characteristics of SiC powder, purified 99.99% silicon powder and carbon powder were mixed and heat-treated (1,300, 1,400 and 1,500 °C) in an Ar atmosphere. The characteristics of silicon and silicon carbide powders were analyzed using particle size distribution analyzer, XRD, SEM, ICP, FT-IR, and Raman analysis.