HYDROMETALLURGICAL RECYCLING OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL FROM PHOTOVOLTAIC MATERIALS - PART TWO: METAL RECOVERY

First Solar, Inc. is committed to the development of sustainable energy solutions based on solar technology. Part of this commitment includes the recycling of solar module manufacturing scrap and end-of-life decommissioned solar modules that contain semiconductor materials made primarily of cadmium and tellurium. SGS Minerals Services was retained by First Solar to carry out metallurgical testwork, process design and commissioning services to support the recovery and reuse of semiconductor materials. A hydrometallurgical flowsheet was established to treat the various recycling feed materials containing semiconductor materials to allow for the recovery of pay metals whilst meeting stringent environmental targets. The previous paper (part 1) describes the results of the leaching testwork, whereas the metal recovery testwork results are described in this paper (part 2).