How To Remove Glass From Waste Solar Panels?

With the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, the problem of the treatment of waste solar panels has gradually appeared. Waste solar photovoltaic panels are mainly composed of aluminum alloy frames, glass, EVA film, battery cells and back panels. Among them, how to effectively remove the glass layer and realize the classified recycling and reuse of materials has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. So, how to remove glass from waste solar panels?

There are three common methods for removing glass from photovoltaic panels：

Chemical Removing

In response to the need to remove glass, researchers have developed a variety of chemical reagents, such as acid, alkaline solutions or organic solvents, which can dissolve or weaken the bonding between glass and EVA film to varying degrees. However, the main challenge facing the chemical stripping method is how to ensure the selectivity of the chemical reagents, that is, to only act on glass or EVA film without damaging the battery cells or other valuable materials. In addition, the treatment of waste liquid generated during the chemical treatment process is also a major problem and needs to be strictly controlled to avoid environmental pollution.

Mechanical Crushing

Mechanical crushing is a common method for dealing with waste photovoltaic panels. The solar panel glass removal machine is used to mechanically remove the glass layer on the waste photovoltaic panels. The glass removal machine adopts automatic feeding and discharging methods, which can control the particle size of glass crushing and ensure that the glass fragments and other materials (such as aluminum frames and battery cells) can be effectively separated. Using this equipment to remove glass can achieve a glass removal rate of 98%, which is more convenient for subsequent crushing and sorting.

Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is another promising method for treating waste photovoltaic panels, especially for removing glass and EVA film. This method uses a high temperature environment to soften and decompose the EVA film, while keeping the glass relatively stable. By precisely controlling the heating temperature and time, the EVA film and glass can be effectively separated. Pyrolysis can not only remove glass efficiently, but also recover useful components in the EVA film, such as hydrocarbon compounds, to a certain extent. However, the pyrolysis method has high requirements for equipment, consumes a lot of energy, and needs to prevent high temperatures from damaging the battery cells.

There are many ways to remove glass from waste photovoltaic panels, each with its own unique advantages and limitations. In practical applications, the most appropriate treatment method should be selected based on the type, scale and recycling target of waste photovoltaic panels, taking into account technical feasibility, economic cost and environmental impact. At the same time, with the continuous advancement of science and technology and the enhancement of environmental awareness, more innovative, efficient and environmentally friendly waste photovoltaic panel treatment technologies will emerge in the future, providing strong support for the sustainable development of the photovoltaic industry.

If you have any questions about recycling waste photovoltaic panels, feel free to contact us, we will provide you with the perfect solutions.