Silver recovery from solar panels
Silver is the most valuable element in a module by weight and the hardest to reach. It sits in the metallisation printed onto the cells, at a fraction
01
What the line contains
- Leaching vessels with dosing and agitation
- Solid–liquid separation and washing
- Precipitation or replacement reaction vessels
- Filtration and washing of the silver product
- Electrolytic refining cells with rectifier and control
- Drying, melting crucible and casting moulds
- Fume extraction over the reaction and melting stages
- Instrumentation for temperature, pH and dosing control
02
The two documented routes
03
The feed specification comes first
| Feed property | Why the plant configuration depends on it |
|---|---|
| Particle size distribution | Sets leach time, agitation and the design of the solid–liquid separation |
| Glass content | Dilutes the metal and consumes reagent; decides vessel volumes |
| Polymer and carbon content | Affects leach behaviour and may require pre-treatment |
| Silver, copper and silicon content | Establishes the reagent addition and the expected product |
| Moisture | Changes the effective feed rate and must be controlled |
| Consistency batch to batch | A plant is tuned to a steady feed; it cannot be tuned to a variable one |
The line is configured from an assay of your own concentrate. Where no assay exists yet, that is the first thing to produce — it costs little and it determines whether the project is viable at all.
04
Where our scope ends
Reagents, effluent and permitting are yours
We supply the process line, the instrumentation and the commissioning. We do not specify your reagent supply chain, we do not design your effluent treatment plant, and we do not obtain your permit. Those are project-specific engineering and regulatory matters that must be developed with your own advisors and regulator.
We will tell you plainly what the process requires so that you can cost those items properly before committing. If the effluent or permit position makes the route unviable at your site, we would rather say so before the order than after it.
Do you have a concentrate and an assay?
Send both if you have them. If you have neither, we will start with what your separation stage produces — because that decides whether this line is the right purchase.
FAQ
Questions
Can the line run on whole solar panels?
No. Silver is roughly 0.03 to 0.05% of module mass, far too dilute for a chemical route. The line requires a separated, crushed cell concentrate produced by the upstream dismantling and separation stages.
What purity does the output reach?
Our process documentation states a design target of 99.99% or better for the cast ingot. That is a design specification rather than a measured result for a given feedstock, and it depends on feed composition, process control and the cleanliness of each separation step. Independent assay of the actual product is the only figure worth relying on commercially.
What else has to be in place before the line runs?
Reagent supply and storage, effluent treatment and disposal, a permit covering the chemistry, fume extraction, and the ability to assay both feed and product. These are usually larger and slower to arrange than the process equipment itself.
Is the line supplied as a package?
It is supplied as a configured line against your feed assay and your site conditions, with commissioning included. Reagent sourcing, effluent design and permitting remain outside our scope and are developed with your own advisors.
Send us the module mix and the through-put
Tell us what arrives at your gate and what has to leave. The engineering team replies with the station configuration, the scope boundary and the information still missing before drawings start.
- Modules — framed single-glass, double-glass, frameless, thin film, mixed
- Condition — intact, or a meaningful share damaged or bent
- Through-put — modules per hour or t/h, and your shift pattern
- Output — which fractions you sell or store, and to what specification
Prefer to talk first? WhatsApp +86 182 0399 3035 or email [email protected].