Open Access Conference Proceedings

In connection with the end of life of the first commercially produced thin-film photovoltaic panels, the issue of recycling them is very topical. One of the methods for the production of the first photovoltaic cells was thin film technology, based on the CdTe content. The work is therefore devoted to one of the possible methods for separation of CdTe and glass particles in the powder material obtained during the liquidation of worn photovoltaic panels aiming at their secondary use. For the above-mentioned separation, the method of centrifugal gravity concentration of particles was used. The influence of the separation method to a change in the mechanical and physical properties of the powder mixture, including the angle of internal and external friction or compressibility, was studied as well. A criterion for comparing the results for the separation products were the contents of SiO2 and CdTe. A partial task was also time optimization of the separation process. The original material contained 46.05 wt. % of SiO2 and 16.06 wt. % of CdTe and unit shares other oxides (CaO, MgO, K2O) and metals. The samples were taken at 5-minute intervals. Using gravity concentration, it was possible to obtain the final concentrate with 29.28 wt. % of SiO2 and 45.69 wt. % of CdTe during optimized process time of 20 minutes. Initial experiments demonstrated the basic possibilities of the above-mentioned material separation and differences in mechanical and physical parameters of individual products.

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