Solar Panel Pyrolysis Recycling Line Processes End of Life PV Modules

What happens to solar panels after they reach the end of their service life? At a customer site in Shaanxi, China, thousands of retired photovoltaic (PV) modules are being processed through a commercial-scale solar panel pyrolysis and sorting line. The process is designed for both single-glass and double-glass crystalline silicon modules, with supported panel sizes ranging from 1,000 to 2,400 mm in length and 800 to 1,300 mm in width. Instead of simply crushing the panels, the system focuses on separating and recovering their major material streams.

How Solar Panel Pyrolysis Recovers Materials From Retired PV Modules
The process begins with panel preparation and mechanical removal of frames and glass where applicable. The prepared modules then enter a controlled thermal pyrolysis tunnel, where heat breaks down the EVA encapsulant and other polymer materials that bond the layers together. Removing the EVA is a critical step because it helps release the glass, silicon cells, metal ribbons, and other components without relying solely on aggressive mechanical crushing. After pyrolysis, the material passes through a series of separation stages. Silicon cell fragments are separated from glass and metal ribbons, while copper ribbons are recovered through sorting. The system also produces recovered glass and other recyclable fractions for further processing or reuse.

At small volumes, solar panels can be handled manually. At the scale of a solar farm, however, thousands of retired modules require continuous and consistent processing. A commercial recycling line integrates thermal treatment, cooling, crushing, and sorting into one process, allowing large quantities of PV waste to be processed more efficiently.

The customer site demonstrates how end-of-life solar panels can be converted from a growing waste stream into recoverable resources. By separating materials such as glass, silicon, copper, aluminum, and other valuable fractions, industrial PV recycling provides a practical route for recovering resources from retired solar modules while reducing the amount of material sent to disposal.

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