Recycling Of Cis Photovoltaic Waste

Patent · 14 July 1998

OSTI ID:879421

Long, Mark O ^[1]; Goozner,; Robert, E ^[1]

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1. Charlotte, NC

A method for extracting and reclaiming metals from scrap CIS photovoltaic cells and associated photovoltaic manufacturing waste by leaching the waste with dilute nitric acid, skimming any plastic material from the top of the leaching solution, separating glass substrate from the leachate, electrolyzing the leachate to plate a copper and selenium metal mixture onto a first cathode, replacing the cathode with a second cathode, re-electrolyzing the leachate to plate cadmium onto the second cathode, separating the copper from selenium, and evaporating the depleted leachate to yield a zinc and indium containing solid.

• Research Organization: Drinkard Metalox, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-95ER81951
• Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5,779,877
• Application Number: 08/854851
• OSTI ID: 879421
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English