Tomsk:Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University and Sevastopol State University have developed a new two-stage method to recycle end-of-life solar panels, producing silicon carbide, a material valuable in various industrial applications.

According to Emirates News Agency, the innovative method allows the recovery and transformation of silicon-containing materials from used solar panels into silicon carbide, prized for its hardness, heat resistance, and high thermal conductivity.

The process begins with pyrolysis at 500°C, separating silicon from the polymer layers of a polycrystalline solar panel. The silicon material is then mixed with technical carbon and treated with a non-vacuum electric arc at 1,800°C, yielding silicon carbide within a minute.

Zhanar Bolatova, an assistant at Tomsk Polytechnic University's Materials Science Division and one of the study's authors, highlighted that pyrolysis aids in removing polymers, leaving a solid carbon residue and capturing gaseous products. The addition of carbon improves the silicon carbide composition by increasing its purity and reducing impurities.

Silicon carbide's versatility allows its use in manufacturing abrasives, refractory products, heating elements, and power electronics, transforming discarded solar panels into valuable resources.