IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i18p8167-d1746864.html

Environmentally Sustainable Recycling of Photovoltaic Panels Laminated with Soft Polysiloxane Gels: Promoting the Circular Economy and Reducing the Carbon Footprint

Author

Listed:
  • Vladislav Poulek

    (Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic)

  • Vaclav Beranek

    (Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic)

  • Martin Kozelka

    (Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic)

  • Tomas Finsterle

    (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University, 16000 Prague, Czech Republic)

Abstract

This article presents an innovative and highly sustainable method for recycling photovoltaic (PV) panels laminated with very soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) gels. This approach eliminates energy-intensive and environmentally harmful processes such as burning and chemical etching due to simple and clean mechanical delamination at room temperature via polyethylene wedges. This technology significantly contributes to environmental sustainability by facilitating the direct reuse of materials, reducing the amount of hazardous waste, and minimizing energy consumption during recycling. PDMS panels achieve extremely low annual degradation rates (0.15–0.22%) and excellent recycling efficiencies (95–98%) compared to conventional EVA/POE laminated panels, with up to 81% of the panel weight being directly reused. This has led to a drastic reduction in the overall carbon footprint and is in line with the principles of circular economy and sustainable development goals (SDGs). The synergistic combination of long service life and efficient end-of-life processing makes this technology a cornerstone of sustainability in the photovoltaic industry. It addresses pressing environmental and socioeconomic challenges by promoting resource efficiency, reducing photovoltaic waste by up to 114 times, and enabling policies and practices that support the global energy transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Vladislav Poulek & Vaclav Beranek & Martin Kozelka & Tomas Finsterle, 2025. "Environmentally Sustainable Recycling of Photovoltaic Panels Laminated with Soft Polysiloxane Gels: Promoting the Circular Economy and Reducing the Carbon Footprint," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-12, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:18:p:8167-:d:1746864
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/18/8167/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/18/8167/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abderrahim Lakhouit & Nada Alhathlaul & Chakib El Mokhi & Hanaa Hachimi, 2025. "Assessing the Environmental Impact of PV Emissions and Sustainability Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-19, March.
    2. Atsu, Divine & Seres, Istvan & Aghaei, Mohammadreza & Farkas, Istvan, 2020. "Analysis of long-term performance and reliability of PV modules under tropical climatic conditions in sub-Saharan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 285-295.
    3. Amjad Ali & Md Tasbirul Islam & Shafiqur Rehman & Sikandar Abdul Qadir & Muhammad Shahid & Muhammad Waseem Khan & Md. Hasan Zahir & Asif Islam & Muhammad Khalid, 2024. "Solar Photovoltaic Module End-of-Life Waste Management Regulations: International Practices and Implications for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-37, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nižetić, Sandro & Jurčević, Mišo & Čoko, Duje & Arıcı, Müslüm & Hoang, Anh Tuan, 2021. "Implementation of phase change materials for thermal regulation of photovoltaic thermal systems: Comprehensive analysis of design approaches," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    2. Pradeep Padhamnath, 2025. "Recent Progress in the Recovery and Recycling of Polymers from End-of-Life Silicon PV Modules," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-34, May.
    3. Andrzej Marciniak & Arkadiusz Małek, 2025. "Determining Energy Production and Consumption Signatures Using Unsupervised Clustering," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-29, May.
    4. Zhang, Tao & Jiang, Jiahui & Chen, Daolian, 2021. "An efficient and low-cost DMPPT approach for photovoltaic submodule based on multi-port DC converter," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 1144-1155.
    5. Hassan Daher, Daha & Gaillard, Léon & Ménézo, Christophe, 2022. "Experimental assessment of long-term performance degradation for a PV power plant operating in a desert maritime climate," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 44-55.
    6. Ceran, Bartosz & Mielcarek, Agata & Hassan, Qusay & Teneta, Janusz & Jaszczur, Marek, 2021. "Aging effects on modelling and operation of a photovoltaic system with hydrogen storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    7. Ana-María Diez-Suarez & Marta Martínez-Benavides & Cristina Manteca Donado & Jorge-Juan Blanes-Peiró & Elia Judith Martínez Torres, 2024. "Recycling of Silicon-Based Photovoltaic Modules: Mediterranean Region Insight," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-44, November.
    8. Mohammadreza Aghaei, 2022. "Autonomous Monitoring and Analysis of Photovoltaic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-6, July.
    9. Yao, Wanxiang & Han, Xiao & Huang, Yu & Zheng, Zhimiao & Wang, Yan & Wang, Xiao, 2022. "Analysis of the influencing factors of the dust on the surface of photovoltaic panels and its weakening law to solar radiation — A case study of Tianjin," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    10. Karttunen, Lauri & Jouttijärvi, Sami & Poskela, Aapo & Palonen, Heikki & Huerta, Hugo & Todorović, Milica & Ranta, Samuli & Miettunen, Kati, 2023. "Comparing methods for the long-term performance assessment of bifacial photovoltaic modules in Nordic conditions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P1).
    11. Boccalatte, Alessia & Thebault, Martin & Paolini, Riccardo & Fossa, Marco & Ramousse, Julien & Ménézo, Christophe & Santamouris, Mattheos, 2023. "Assessing the combined effects of local climate and mounting configuration on the electrical and thermal performance of photovoltaic systems. Application to the greater Sydney area," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P1).
    12. Oyarzún-Aravena, Andrea M. & Chen, Jiying & Brownbridge, George & Akroyd, Jethro & Kraft, Markus, 2025. "An analysis of renewable energy resources and options for the energy transition in Chile," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 381(C).
    13. Osama, Amr & Tina, Giuseppe Marco & Gagliano, Antonio, 2025. "Thermal models for mono/bifacial modules in ground/floating photovoltaic systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    14. Negri, Simone & Tironi, Enrico & Superti-Furga, Gabrio & Carminati, Marco, 2021. "VSC-based LVDC distribution network with DERs: Equivalent circuits for leakage and ground fault currents evaluation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 1133-1146.
    15. Liu, Weidong & Xu, Ben & Liu, Yan & Li, Shaoshuai & Yan, Weian, 2024. "A field-function methodology predicting the service lifetime of photovoltaic modules," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    16. Singh, Rashmi & Sharma, Madhu & Yadav, Kamlesh, 2022. "Degradation and reliability analysis of photovoltaic modules after operating for 12 years: A case study with comparisons," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 1170-1186.
    17. Le Quyen Luu & Thanh Quang Nguyen & Soroush Khakpour & Maurizio Cellura & Francesco Nocera & Nam Hoai Nguyen & Ngoc Han Bui, 2025. "Material Demand and Contributions of Solar PV End-of-Life Management to the Circular Economy: The Case of Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-25, July.
    18. Agnieszka Bus & Michał Hasny & Edyta Hewelke & Anna Szelągowska, 2025. "The Power of Sun—A Comparative Cost–Benefit Analysis of Residential PV Systems in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-20, June.
    19. Cosimo Magazzino & Umberto Monarca & Ernesto Cassetta & Alberto Costantiello & Tulia Gattone, 2025. "Uncovering CO 2 Drivers with Machine Learning in High- and Upper-Middle-Income Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-21, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:18:p:8167-:d:1746864. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.