Recycling

Thanks to collection through PV CYCLE Belgium, your old PV panels get a new life. But how does the recycling process actually work? Here's a little preview. The recycling of your panels is mainly done in Belgium, with our partners BNE Trading & Recycling (Neerpelt) and Comet Group (Châtelet).

Three steps to new raw materials

The standard PV panel recycling process involves three different steps: first, the panels are dismantled, then the various components are shredded, and finally the materials are separated and further purified.

1. DISMANTLE
   In a first step of the recycling process, the solar panels are dismantled. They typically consist of four different parts: the aluminum frame, the cable, the junction box and the photovoltaic panel with the solar cells. The cable and junction box are removed manually. For the aluminum frame, this is done mechanically.
2. SHREDDING
   Then the various parts are mechanically shredded in a shredding plant. The process can be compared to that of a paper shredder. Thanks to shredding, the different materials - for example, the plastic and the copper from the cables - can be separated more easily. The materials also become a lot more compact, making them easier and more efficient to transport after processing.
3. SEPARATING AND PURIFYING
   

   The materials are then separated and purified as much as possible. For the aluminum of the frames, this is actually no longer necessary. This is already a pure stream that can immediately be reused as a raw material. The copper and plastics of the cables and boxes are separated into two streams that can be used in new products without much additional processing.

   The panels themselves consist of a combination of glass, metals (including the silicon of the solar cells) and plastic film. The materials from the shredded panels are separated and purified in several steps. The residual glass and film streams are used in the cement industry and road construction. There they replace other raw materials, which no longer need to be mined. A mixed fraction of glass and silicon-containing cells goes to a smelter, where precious metals are recovered.

   Overall, a recycling rate of over 90% is achieved today, depending on the recycling process.

Processing in Belgium - sustainable and local

The photovoltaic solar panels collected through PV CYCLE Belgium are recycled mainly in Belgium by two specialized and certified partners. In this way, we not only contribute to the local economy, but also guarantee sustainable processing according to the rules of the art.