Method and apparatus for separating photovoltaic module material

Abstract

A method of separating material of a photovoltaic (PV) module and an associated apparatus are disclosed, the method comprising: providing at least one screen and at least one collecting portion, the screen comprising a receiving portion and a screening mesh, the screening mesh comprising a plurality of apertures, wherein fragments of material having a size smaller than a pore size of the plurality of pores can pass from the receiving portion through the screening mesh to the collecting portion; introducing a load to the receiving portion, the load comprising a first load portion and a second load portion, where the first load portion comprises fragments of a first material of the photovoltaic module and the second load portion comprises fragments of a second material of the photovoltaic module, the type of the second material is different from that of the first material; adding one or more screening adjunct materials to the receiving portion; the at least one screen is agitated wherein the one or more screening aid material mechanically interacts with the load to help reduce the size of the plurality of the fragments of the first material below the pore size.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2022903639, filed on November 30, 2022, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a method and associated apparatus for separating materials. Specifically but not necessarily exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for separating materials of a photovoltaic module (e.g., for recycling purposes). Background Art

[0004] Photovoltaic (PV) modules, also known as solar panels, are used to convert sunlight into electrical energy and are thus a valuable alternative to fossil fuels for energy generation. PV modules typically include a layer of solar cell units that includes PV silicon wafers encapsulated between two protective sheets, which are held in place on the PV silicon wafers by an encapsulant layer (such as an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) layer). The solar cell unit layer, the protective sheets, and the encapsulant layer are typically disposed within a frame such as an aluminum frame. Metallization elements that act as electrical conductors are typically screen printed on the surface of the PV silicon wafers. One or both of the protective sheets typically comprise glass.

[0005] Due to defects associated with the natural wear of PV modules, such as delamination and burn marks, the average lifespan of PV modules is limited. PV modules that reach the end of their life cycle must be disposed of and replaced. There is currently no standard procedure for disposing of PV module waste, and in most areas, the waste ends up in landfills.

[0006] Current processes for recycling materials of PV modules involve disassembling the aluminum frame and using mechanical, thermal, and / or chemical methods to delaminate the protective sheets and the encapsulant layer. The disassembly and delamination processes typically cause damage and breakage to the glass and PV silicon wafers, resulting in the mixing of fragments of the two materials. The fragments of glass and PV silicon wafer materials in the mixture are difficult to separate and are thus difficult to recycle. Current techniques for separating fragments of materials include electrostatic separation and density separation, for example, which attempt to separate the fragments based on differences in their physical properties.

[0007] In electrostatic separation technology, materials are sorted based on their electrical conductivity and thus their electrostatic properties. PV solar modules are shredded into fine particles and then fed into a drum separator. The particles acquire different charges when physically contacting the drum, which results in different downward trends for the particles to fall from the drum, thereby achieving the separation of materials. Although the electrostatic separation method has great potential in dealing with large-volume waste, since the glass particles are relatively heavy, which means that the momentum obtained by the glass particles during rotation is superior to the influence of the electrostatic force, the electrostatic separation is relatively ineffective in separating glass from other conductive or semi-conductive particles.

[0008] Density separation separates materials based on the mass-volume ratio of the materials. PV solar modules are shredded into fine particles and fed into a density separation device including a fluid. The separation of materials is achieved through the following process: using a fluid with a medium density, such that the particles of materials with a first density range will float in the fluid, and the particles of materials with a second density range will sink in the fluid. Water is one of the most commonly used fluids in density separation applications. However, in the recycling of PV modules, water is no longer a suitable and applicable solution because the relative densities of most of the materials contained in PV modules are greater than 1. For example, respectively, the relative densities of silicon, glass, aluminum, copper, and silver are 2.33, 2.5, 2.7, 8.9, and 10.4. It is also possible to use other high-density fluids as the intermediate fluid, but this may significantly increase the operating costs and risks of the separation process in PV recycling.

[0009] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, or the like included in this specification should not be construed as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or are common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure prior to the priority date of each of the appended claims. Summary of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for separating materials of a photovoltaic (PV) module, the method comprising:

[0011] providing at least one sieve and at least one collection part, the sieve comprising a receiving part and a screening sieve mesh, the screening sieve mesh including a plurality of holes, wherein fragments of materials with a size smaller than the hole size of the plurality of holes can pass through the screening sieve mesh from the receiving part to the collection part;

[0012] introducing a load into the receiving part, the load comprising a first load part and a second load part, wherein the first load part comprises fragments of a first material of the PV module, and the second load part comprises fragments of a second material of the PV module, the second material being a material of a type different from the type of the first material;

[0013] Add one or more screening aids to the receiving portion;

[0014] Agitate the at least one sieve, wherein the one or more screening aids interact mechanically with the load to assist in reducing the size of the plurality of pieces of the first material to below the pore size.

[0015] In some embodiments, agitating the at least one sieve causes a portion of the first load portion to pass from the receiving portion through the screening sieve to the collection portion, the size of the portion being greater than the size of any portion of the second load portion that passes from the receiving portion through the screening sieve to the collection portion.

[0016] In some embodiments, agitating the at least one sieve causes most of the first load portion to pass from the receiving portion through the screening sieve to the collection portion, and most of the second load portion remains in the receiving portion.

[0017] In some embodiments, the majority of the first load portion comprises at least 60 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 80 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 95 wt% or at least 98 wt% of the first load portion.

[0018] In some embodiments, the majority of the second load portion comprises at least 60 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 80 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 95 wt% or at least 98 wt% of the second load portion.

[0019] In some embodiments, the plurality of pieces of the first material are reduced in size to below the pore size faster than the plurality of pieces of the second material are reduced in size to below the pore size, if at all.

[0020] In some embodiments, one or more of the screening aids are shaped as spheres, spheroids, ellipsoids, cubes, cuboids, cylinders, cones or pyramids.

[0021] In some embodiments, one or more of the screening aids comprise stainless steel, rubber, plastic or ceramic.

[0022] In some embodiments, adding the one or more screening aids to the receiving portion includes adding at least 2, at least 5, at least 10, at least 15, at least 20, at least 25, at least 30, at least 40, at least 50, at least 60, at least 100, at least 200, at least 500, at least 1000, at least 10000, between 2 and 10000, between 10 and 1000, between 100 and 500, between 500 and 1000, between 200 and 800, between 2 and 100, between 5 and 75, or between 10 and 60 screening aids to the receiving portion.

[0023] In some embodiments, the fragments of the first material are fragments of the photovoltaic silicon wafers of the PV module.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first load portion includes the metallization elements of the photovoltaic module or fragments of the metallization elements, and the metallization elements or the fragments of the metallization elements are attached to or associated with the fragments of the photovoltaic silicon wafers.

[0025] In some embodiments, the metallization elements include one or more of the following materials: silver, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, or lead.

[0026] In some embodiments, the fragments of the second material are fragments of the glass of the photovoltaic module.

[0027] In some embodiments, agitating the at least one sieve includes intermittently agitating the sieve.

[0028] In some embodiments, intermittently agitating the at least one sieve includes continuously agitating the sieve during each of a plurality of first time periods, wherein consecutive first time periods of the plurality of first time periods are each separated by a corresponding second time period during which the sieve is substantially not agitated.

[0029] In some embodiments, during the first time periods, the one or more screening aids undergo a vibratory motion within the receiving portion to mechanically interact with the load.

[0030] In some embodiments, during the second time periods, the vibratory motion of the one or more screening aids is interrupted and the screening aids move substantially horizontally within the receiving portion.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first time period is one of the following: at least 2 seconds, at least 3 seconds, at least 4 seconds, at least 5 seconds, at least 6 seconds, at least 7 seconds, at least 8 seconds, at least 9 seconds, at least 10 seconds, at least 20 seconds, at least 30 seconds, at least 50 seconds, at least 100 seconds, or at least 5 minutes; and the second time period is one of the following: at least 2 seconds, at least 3 seconds, at least 4 seconds, at least 5 seconds, at least 6 seconds, at least 7 seconds, at least 8 seconds, at least 9 seconds, at least 10 seconds, at least 20 seconds, at least 30 seconds, at least 50 seconds, at least 100 seconds, or at least 5 minutes.

[0032] In some embodiments, the total agitation time period as the sum of the first time periods is at least 1 minute, at least 2 minutes, at least 3 minutes, at least 4 minutes, at least 5 minutes, at least 6 minutes, at least 7 minutes, at least 8 minutes, at least 9 minutes, at least 10 minutes, at least 15 minutes, at least 20 minutes, at least 30 minutes, or at least 1 hour.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first time period is at least 3 seconds, the second time period is at least 3 seconds, and the total agitation time period is at least 5 minutes.

[0034] In some embodiments, agitating the at least one sieve such that the amplitude of the vertical movement of the sieve is at least 1 mm, at least 1.5 mm, at least 2 mm, at least 2.5 mm, at least 3 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, or at least 50 mm.

[0035] In some embodiments, the method includes providing a plurality of the sieves in a vertically stacked arrangement, wherein the receiving portion of at least one lower sieve of the plurality of sieves provides the collection portion of at least one higher sieve of the plurality of sieves, and the at least one higher sieve is located above the at least one lower sieve.

[0036] In some embodiments, the pore size of the screening sieve of the plurality of sieves decreases from the top to the bottom of the vertically stacked arrangement of the plurality of sieves.

[0037] In some embodiments, one or more screening auxiliary materials are added to the receiving portions of two or more of the plurality of sieves.

[0038] In some embodiments, the quantity and / or the physical parameters of the screening auxiliary material added to each of the receiving portions in the receiving portions are different.

[0039] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a photovoltaic (PV) module material separation device, comprising:

[0040] At least one sieve and at least one collection part, the sieve comprising a receiving part and a screening sieve mesh, the screening sieve mesh including a plurality of holes, wherein fragments of material having a size smaller than the hole size of the plurality of holes can pass from the receiving part through the screening sieve mesh to the collection part, wherein the receiving part is adapted to receive a load, the load comprising a first load part and a second load part, wherein the first load part comprises fragments of a first material of the photovoltaic module, and the second load part comprises fragments of a second material of the photovoltaic module, the second material being a material of a type different from the type of the first material;

[0041] One or more screening auxiliary materials, the one or more screening auxiliary materials being configured to be received in the receiving part;

[0042] An agitation mechanism, the agitation mechanism being configured to agitate the at least one sieve such that the one or more screening auxiliary materials mechanically interact with the load to assist in reducing the size of the plurality of fragments of the first material to below the hole size.

[0043] For example, the PV module material separation device can be used in the method described above with respect to the previous aspect, and any one or more components of the device can be configured as described with respect to the previous aspect.

[0044] Although the method and device are described above with respect to the separation of materials of a photovoltaic module, the method and device can also be used for the separation of other materials.

[0045] Thus, according to one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for separating materials, the method comprising:

[0046] Providing at least one sieve and at least one collection part, the sieve comprising a receiving part and a screening sieve mesh, the screening sieve mesh including a plurality of holes, wherein fragments of material having a size smaller than the hole size of the plurality of holes can pass from the receiving part through the screening sieve mesh to the collection part;

[0047] Introducing a load into the receiving part, the load comprising a first load part and a second load part, wherein the first load part comprises fragments of a first material, and the second load part comprises fragments of a second material, the second material being a material of a type different from the type of the first material;

[0048] Adding one or more screening auxiliary materials to the receiving part;

[0049] Agitating the at least one sieve, wherein the one or more screening auxiliary materials mechanically interact with the load to assist in reducing the size of the plurality of fragments of the first material to below the hole size.

[0050] In addition, according to another aspect of the present disclosure, a material separation device is provided, which comprises:

[0051] At least one sieve and at least one collection part, the sieve comprising a receiving part and a screening sieve mesh, the screening sieve mesh including a plurality of holes, wherein fragments of materials having a size smaller than the hole size of the plurality of holes can pass through the screening sieve mesh from the receiving part to the collection part, wherein the receiving part is adapted to receive a load, the load comprising a first load part and a second load part, wherein the first load part comprises fragments of a first material, and the second load part comprises fragments of a second material, the second material being a material of a type different from the type of the first material;

[0052] One or more screening auxiliary materials configured to be received in the receiving part;

[0053] An agitation mechanism configured to agitate the sieve such that the one or more screening auxiliary materials mechanically interact with the load to assist in reducing the size of the plurality of fragments of the first material to below the hole size.

[0054] Throughout this specification, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of the stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. Description of the Drawings

[0055] Now, by way of example only, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0056] Figure 1 A exploded view of a PV module is shown;

[0057] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for separating materials of a PV module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0058] Figure 3 A PV module material separation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, including a load located in the receiving part of the sieve of the device;

[0059] Figure 4 Shown is Figure 3 the device after agitating the sieve;

[0060] Figure 5Shows a PV module material separation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including a load located in the receiving part of the sieve of the device;

[0061] Figure 6 Shows different screening auxiliary materials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0062] Figure 7A And 7B Respectively show images of the fragments of the materials in the 5 mm sieve section after the initial screening process without using screening auxiliary materials and the screening process using screening auxiliary materials;

[0063] Figure 8A And 8B Respectively show images of the fragments of the materials in the 3.15 mm sieve section after the initial screening process without using screening auxiliary materials and the screening process using screening auxiliary materials;

[0064] Figure 9A And 9B Respectively show images of the fragments of the materials in the 1 mm sieve section after the initial screening process without using screening auxiliary materials and the screening process using screening auxiliary materials; and

[0065] Figure 10 Shows an image of concentrated PV silicon wafer fragments in the 0.5 mm sieve section after the screening process using screening auxiliary materials. Detailed Description

[0066] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and devices for separating materials of a PV module (e.g., as part of a recycling process).

[0067] Figure 1 An example of a PV module 100 is shown in, which can be subjected to the methods and devices of the present disclosure. The PV module 100 includes a solar cell unit layer 110 (the layer may include one or more solar cell units), and the solar cell unit layer contains PV silicon wafers. The first protective sheet 120 and the second protective sheet 130 are positioned on either side of the solar cell unit layer, and are respectively fixed to the opposite sides of the solar cell unit layer 100 using the first encapsulant layer 140 and the second encapsulant layer 150. The first encapsulant layer and the second encapsulant layer may be ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) layers, but other thermoplastics may also be used as encapsulants. The assembly of the solar cell unit layer 110, the first protective sheet 120, the second protective sheet 130, and the encapsulant layers 140, 150 is held in a frame 160 such as an aluminum frame.

[0068] One or both of the first protective sheet 120 and the second protective sheet 130 may include glass, thereby allowing sunlight to pass through the glass and reach the solar cell unit layer 100. The glass may include soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, and lead crystal glass, as well as any other type of glass commonly used in PV modules. The glass may be tempered glass.

[0069] Metallization elements 115 (such as bus bars, conductive fingers, and contacts) are attached to or otherwise associated with the PV silicon wafers of the solar cell unit layer 110 for the purpose of transferring the electrical energy generated through the solar cell unit layer 110. The metallization elements 115 may include one or more of the following materials: silver, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, or lead, or any other material that can be used as an electrical conductor in a PV module to transfer the electricity generated through the PV silicon wafers.

[0070] At the end of the life cycle of the PV module 100 or otherwise, the PV module 100 can be disassembled, thereby removing the frame 160 from the other components of the PV module 100. Subsequently, the protective sheets 120, 130 and the encapsulant layers 140, 150 can be delaminated from the solar cell unit layer 110 using mechanical methods, thermal methods, and / or chemical methods. The disassembly and / or delamination process typically results in the damage and fragmentation of at least one of the first protective sheet 120 and the second protective sheet 130, along with the fragmentation of the PV silicon wafers, such that the fragments of the glass are mixed with the fragments of the PV silicon wafers and potentially the fragments of the associated metallization elements 115. Methods and devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be used to separate the fragments of different materials, for example, as part of a PV module recycling process or otherwise. The methods and devices can allow the recovery of materials such as silicon and / or any one or more metals present in the PV module and can increase the recovery yield of such materials.

[0071] Reference Figure 2 , in a method 200 for separating materials of a PV module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at 210, a load and one or more screening auxiliary materials are added to the receiving portion of a sieve. The sieve includes a receiving portion and a screening sieve mesh, the screening sieve mesh including a plurality of holes, wherein fragments of materials having a size smaller than the hole size of the plurality of holes can pass from the receiving portion through the screening sieve mesh to a collection portion. The load includes a first load portion and a second load portion, wherein the first load portion includes fragments of a first material of the PV module, and the second load portion includes fragments of a second material of the PV module, the second material being a material of a type different from the type of the first material.

[0072] At 220, the sieve is agitated, wherein the one or more screening auxiliary materials mechanically interact with the load to assist in reducing the size of the plurality of fragments of the first material to below the hole size of the screening sieve mesh.

[0073] The agitation sieve can cause a portion of the first load portion to pass from the receiving portion through the screening sieve to the collection portion, and the total size of said portion is greater than the total size of any portion of the second load portion that passes from the receiving portion through the screening sieve to the collection portion. For example, the amount of the first load portion passing through the screening sieve to the collection portion, measured as a weight percentage (wt%) relative to the total first load portion introduced into the receiving portion, can be greater than the amount of the second load portion passing through the screening sieve to the collection portion, measured as a wt% relative to the total second load portion introduced into the receiving portion.

[0074] The agitation sieve can cause most of the first load portion to pass from the receiving portion through the screening sieve to the collection portion, and most of the second load portion can remain in the receiving portion. Most of the first load portion can be at least 60 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 80 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 95 wt% or at least 98 wt% of the first load portion, and most of the second load portion can be at least 60 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 80 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 95 wt% or at least 98 wt% of the second load portion.

[0075] Figure 3 Shown is a PV module material separation device 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be used to perform, for example, the method described with respect to Figure 2 and optionally followed by the disassembly and delamination of a PV module 100 of the type described above with respect to Figure 1 The device 300 includes a sieve 305 having a receiving portion 310 and a screening sieve 320. The collection portion 330 of the device 300 is located below the sieve 305. The screening sieve 320 includes a plurality of holes 321, and fragments of material having a size smaller than the hole size of said plurality of holes 321 can pass from the receiving portion 310 through the screening sieve 320 to the collection portion 330. In some embodiments, the collection portion 330 can be the flat bottom plate of a screening device as Figure 3 shown.

[0076] Device 300 further includes an agitation mechanism 340 for agitating (e.g., vibrating) the sieve 305. The agitation mechanism 340 may include a vibrating plate 341 and a motor 342 for vibrating the vibrating plate 341. The agitation mechanism may vibrate the sieve 305 vertically and / or horizontally. Additionally or alternatively, the agitation mechanism 340 may also agitate the sieve 305 by applying circular motion and / or by applying a beating to the sieve 305. The agitation mechanism 340 may be positioned below the sieve 305, but in alternative embodiments, it may be located above or to the side of the sieve 305. The agitation may agitate at least the receiving portion 310 and the screening mesh 320 of the sieve 305. A controller 343 may be associated with the agitation mechanism to control the motor 342 and thus control agitation parameters such as the amplitude and duration of vibration. Some or all of the device 300 may be provided by, for example, commercially available vertical sieve oscillators, horizontal sieve oscillators, beating oscillators, or rotary beating oscillators. Agitating the sieve 305 may cause the amplitude of the vertical movement (and / or horizontal movement) of the sieve 305 to be, for example, at least 1 mm, at least 1.5 mm, at least 2 mm, at least 2.5 mm, at least 3 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, or at least 50 mm. For example, when performing the method using a larger sieve that can accommodate a larger load, the amplitude of the vertical movement (and / or any other movement) of the sieve 305 may be increased.

[0077] In Figure 3 it is shown that after adding the load 350 to the receiving portion 310 of the sieve 305, the load includes a first load portion 360 and a second load portion 370. The first load portion 360 includes fragments of a first material 361 of a photovoltaic module, and the second load portion includes fragments of a second material 362 of the photovoltaic module, the second material being a material of a type different from the type of the first material. The fragments of the first material 361 may be fragments of a PV silicon wafer, and the fragments of the second material 362 may be fragments of glass (fragments of a glass layer). In addition to the fragments of the PV silicon wafer, the first load portion 360 may also include fragments of a third material 363, the third material may include a metallization element 363 as described with respect to Figure 1 description.

[0078] In addition to the load 350, one or more screening aids 380 are added to the receiving portion 310 of the sieve 305 either before or after adding the load 350, and in this example, a plurality of screening aids 380. The screening aids 380 are additives for the screening process and are not part of the PV module being processed. During agitation of the sieve 305, the screening aids 380 are configured to mechanically interact with the load 350 (e.g., impact, squeeze, break, and / or crush) to assist in reducing the size of at least a plurality of fragments of the first material 361 and optionally also the third material 363 below the pore size. The rate at which the size of a plurality of fragments of the first material 361 and optionally also the third material 363 is reduced below the pore size can be faster than the rate at which the size of a plurality of fragments of the second material 362 is optionally reduced below the pore size. Generally, the fragments of the first material 361 (and optionally the third material 363) may be more easily reduced in size than the fragments of the second material 362, for example because the fragments of the first material 361 (and optionally the third material 363) are more easily broken due to mechanical interaction with the sieve 305 and the screening aids 380 than the fragments of the second material 362. However, this may not be desired where, before mechanical interaction with the screening aids 380, the fragments of the first material 361 (and optionally the third material 363) are already closer to the threshold size than the fragments of the second material 362.

[0079] As Figure 4 shown, agitation of the sieve 305 causes a portion of the first load portion 360 (including fragments of the first material 361 and optionally fragments of the third material 363) to pass from the receiving portion 310 through the screening screen 320 to the collection portion 330, the total size of said portion being greater than any portion of the second load portion that passes from the receiving portion 310 through the screening screen 320 to the collection portion 330 (including fragments of the second material 362). For example, the amount of the first load portion 360 that passes through the screening screen 320 to the collection portion 330, as a weight percentage (wt%) relative to the total first load portion added to the receiving portion 310, can be greater than the amount of the second load portion 370 that passes through the screening screen 320 to the collection portion 330, as a wt% relative to the total second load portion added to the receiving portion 310.

[0080] The agitation sieve 305 can enable most of the first load portion 360 to pass from the receiving portion 310 through the screening sieve 320 to the collection portion 330, and most of the second load portion 370 can remain in the receiving portion 310. Most of the first load portion 360 can account for at least 60 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 80 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 95 wt% or at least 98 wt% of the first load portion 360, and most of the second load portion 370 can account for at least 60 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 80 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 95 wt% or at least 98 wt% of the second load portion 370.

[0081] A variety of different screening parameters can be selected to optimize the desired reduction in the fragment size of the first material 361 and optionally also the third material 363, such that the first load portion can more easily pass from the receiving portion 310 through the holes 321 of the screening sieve 320 to the collection portion 330 compared to the second load portion. The selected screening parameters can include the quantity of the screening aid material 380 added to the receiving portion 310, the weight, density, and / or size (e.g., diameter or volume) of the screening aid material 380, the shape of the screening aid material 380, the material of the screening aid material 380, or others. For example, the selected parameters can depend on factors such as the weight and / or composition of the load 350 and the size of the sieve 305.

[0082] For example, referring to Figure 6, the shape of one or more of the screening aids 380 may be spherical (including sphere 381 or ellipsoid 382), cube 383, cuboid 384, cylinder 385, cone 386 or pyramid 387. As another example, one or more of the screening aids 370 may comprise stainless steel, rubber, plastic, ceramic or any other material that allows the desired size reduction of different materials to be achieved. For example, the number of screening aids 380 added to the receiving portion 310 may be at least 2, at least 5, at least 10, at least 15, at least 20, at least 25, at least 30, at least 40, at least 50, at least 60, at least 100, at least 200, at least 500, at least 1000, at least 10000, between 2 and 10000, between 10 and 1000, between 100 and 500, between 500 and 1000, between 200 and 800, between 2 and 100, between 5 and 75 or between 10 and 60 screening aids 380. For example, the diameter of one or more of the screening aids 380 (e.g., when the shape is spherical or a sphere) may be at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 15 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 50 mm, at least 100 mm, between 5 mm and 100 mm, between 10 mm and 50 mm, between 3 mm and 20 mm, between 4 mm and 15 mm or between 5 mm and 10 mm. For example, a greater number of screening aids 380 and / or screening aids 380 having a greater size, diameter, weight and / or density may be added to the receiving portion of a large sieve that can accommodate a greater load.

[0083] In the methods and apparatuses described above, the agitation sieve 305 may comprise agitating the sieve 305 intermittently. Intermittently agitating the sieve 305 may comprise continuously agitating the sieve 305 during each of a plurality of first time periods, wherein consecutive first time periods of the plurality of first time periods are each separated by a respective second time period during which the sieve is substantially not agitated. During a first time period, one or more screening aids 380 may undergo a vibratory motion (e.g., a vertical and / or horizontal oscillatory motion within the receiving portion 310) within the receiving portion 310 to mechanically interact with the load 350. During a second time period, the vibratory motion of one or more screening aids 380 may be interrupted and the screening aids 380 may move substantially horizontally within the receiving portion 310. This may enhance the contact between the screening aids 380 and the debris of the first material 361 and optionally the third material 363, for example, by allowing the screening aids 380 to be repositioned to different regions within the sieve during the second time period.

[0084] For example, the first time period can be one of the following: at least 2 seconds, at least 3 seconds, at least 4 seconds, at least 5 seconds, at least 6 seconds, at least 7 seconds, at least 8 seconds, at least 9 seconds, at least 10 seconds, at least 20 seconds, at least 30 seconds, at least 50 seconds, at least 100 seconds, or at least 5 minutes; and for example, the second time period can be one of the following: at least 2 seconds, at least 3 seconds, at least 4 seconds, at least 5 seconds, at least 6 seconds, at least 7 seconds, at least 8 seconds, at least 9 seconds, at least 10 seconds, at least 20 seconds, at least 30 seconds, at least 50 seconds, at least 100 seconds, or at least 5 minutes. For example, when performing the method using a large sieve that can accommodate a larger load, the first time period and the second time period can be increased.

[0085] For example, the total agitation time period as the sum of the first time periods can be at least 1 minute, at least 2 minutes, at least 3 minutes, at least 4 minutes, at least 5 minutes, at least 6 minutes, at least 7 minutes, at least 8 minutes, at least 9 minutes, at least 10 minutes, at least 20 minutes, at least 30 minutes, or at least 1 hour. For example, the first time period can be at least three seconds, the second time period can be at least 3 seconds, and the total agitation time period can be at least 5 minutes. For example, when performing the method using a large sieve that can accommodate a larger load, the total agitation time period can be increased.

[0086] In Figure 3 and 4 's device, a single sieve 305 is arranged to have a receiving part 310 and a screening sieve 320, and is only located above a single collecting part 330. In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 5As shown, the device 400 can be arranged to include a plurality of sieves 405a, 405b, 405c, each sieve including a respective receiving portion 410a, 410b, 410c and a respective screening sieve mesh 420a, 420b, 420c, and each sieve being located above a respective collection portion 430a, 430b, 430c. The sieves 405a, 405b, 405c are vertically stacked on top of one another above the agitation mechanism 440, which is operable to agitate all of the sieves 405a, 405b, 405c simultaneously and can agitate the sieves 405a, 405b, 405c in the same or a similar manner as the agitation mechanism 340 of the device 300 discussed above. The size of the holes in the screening sieve meshes 420a, 420b, 420c can decrease from the highest to the lowest of the stacked sieves 405a, 405b, 405c. In such an arrangement, one or more of the receiving portions 410b, 410c of the lower sieves 405b, 405c in the stack can be used, individually or in combination, as one or more of the collection portions 430a, 430b of the sieves 405a, 405b located higher in the stack. A flat pan can be used as the collection portion 430c of the lowest sieve 403c. Some or all of the device 400 can be provided by, for example, a commercially available vertical sieve shaker, horizontal sieve shaker, tapping shaker, or rotary tapping shaker. One or more screening aids 480 can be added to the receiving portions 410a, 410b of one or more of the sieves 405a, 405b. The amount of screening aid 480 added to each of the receiving portions 410a, 410b and / or the physical parameters of the screening aid can be the same or different. For example, a greater amount and / or smaller size (diameter) of screening aid 480 can be provided in the receiving portion 410b of one or more of the lower sieves 405b compared to one or more of the higher sieves 405a.

[0087] Experimental example

[0088] Loads were obtained after the disassembly and thermal delamination of the PV modules. The loads each included fragments of the broken glass layer together with fragments of the PV silicon wafers and associated metallization elements (chips).

[0089] Using a vibratory sieve shaker (Retsch TMThe AS200 vibrating sieve oscillator separates one of the loads using a vertical stack of sieves with sieve hole sizes decreasing from top to bottom (10 mm, 5 mm, 3.15 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.15 mm, and 0.075 mm) located above a flat bottom plate and a vibrating mechanism. The sieving is carried out with a vertical vibration amplitude of 1.5 mm for a single continuous sieving time of 3 minutes. No sieving aid material is used during the sieving process. Table 1 below lists the separation by weight of the fractions in each sieve after the sieving process is completed along with the estimated silver content of each fraction. It was observed that the fractions in the sieves with the four largest hole sizes (10 mm, 5 mm, 3.15 mm, and 1 mm) each contained a large amount of debris mixed with PV silicon wafers and broken glass, and the PV silicon wafer powder collected by the sieves with smaller holes accounted for approximately 2.5 wt% of the original load.

[0090]

[0091] Table 1

[0092] Using a vibrating sieve oscillator (Retsch TM AS200 vibrating sieve oscillator) separates the load using the same vertical stack of sieves with sieve hole sizes decreasing from top to bottom (10 mm, 5 mm, 3.15 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.15 mm, and 0.075 mm) located above a flat bottom plate and a vibrating mechanism, but with the addition of sieving aid material to the sieves with the four largest hole sizes (10 mm, 5 mm, 3.15 mm, and 1 mm; which were the sieve portions observed to include a large amount of debris mixed with PV silicon wafers and broken glass after the sieving process in the previous example). The sieving is carried out under the following parameters: (A) a vertical vibration amplitude of 1.5 mm for intermittent 3 - second time periods separated by periods without sieving, spanning a total sieving time of 5 minutes; or (B) a vertical vibration amplitude of 2.0 mm for 5 - second time periods separated by periods without sieving, spanning a total sieving time of 5 minutes.

[0093] Table 2A and 2B below list the quantity, diameter, and material of the sieving aid material used in each sieve, along with the weights of the load portions in each sieve before and after the sieving process, and the estimated separation efficiency of the broken glass from the PV silicon wafers and the debris of the associated metallization elements. Respectively, Table 2A and 2B provide the results when applying the sieving parameters (A) and (B) discussed above.

[0094]

[0095] Table 2A

[0096]

[0097] Table 2B

[0098] The results show that the use of screening aids significantly improves the separation efficiency of the screening process, where essentially 100% of all PV silicon wafer fragments and associated metallization elements have been sufficiently reduced in size through mechanical interaction with the sieve and screening aids to pass through screening meshes with 10 mm and 5 mm pore sizes, leaving only glass fragments in these sieve sections. Additionally, similar separation efficiencies were achieved in sieve sections with 3.15 mm and 1 mm pore sizes when using and applying a higher vertical vibration amplitude for longer intermittent time periods, enabling an estimated 98% of PV silicon wafer fragments to be recovered using the process.

[0099] In additional experimental examples, a similar experimental setup was again utilized with respect to the load generated by the thermal delamination process of PV modules. After an initial screening process without using screening aids, the weights of the load fractions across different sieve distributions were determined and are listed in the second column of Table 3 below. Subsequently, a screening process was applied to the fractions of the load with the screening conditions and screening aids at the parameters (quantity, diameter, and material) listed in Table 4 below. After this screening process was completed, the weights of the load fractions across different sieve distributions were determined and are listed in the third column of Table 3 below.

[0100]

[0101] Table 3

[0102]

[0103] Table 4

[0104] By comparing the particle size distributions before and after the proposed screening process using screening aids, it can be concluded that most of the large fragments (about 14 g) of PV silicon wafers were initially contained in the 1 mm, 3.15 mm, and 5 mm sieves, and these fragments were squeezed by the screening aids during the screening process. Separately,[ Figure 7A , 8A and 9A show the separation performance of the initial screening process (without using screening aids) for the 5 mm, 3.15 mm, and 1 mm sieves. Separately,[ Figure 7B , 8B and 9B show the separation performance of the screening process (with the use of screening aids) for the 5 mm, 3.15 mm, and 1 mm sieves. As Figure 7A and 7BAs shown, compared with the portion of the fragments of the PV silicon wafer remaining after the proposed screening process, a larger portion of the fragments of the PV silicon wafer 760 after the initial screening process remains in the 5 mm sieve, leaving only glass fragments 770 in the receiving portion. Similar findings were noted when comparing the ratios of the fragments of PV silicon wafers 860, 960 to the remaining fragments of glass 870, 970 after the initial screening process and the proposed screening process, as Figures 8A to 9B shown. Most of these fragments (about 10.8 g) were concentrated in the 0.5 mm sieve, as Figure 10 shown.

[0105] The silver concentration provides an indicator of the separation efficiency, as silver is one of the most valuable materials contained in the loaded portion including typical PV silicon wafers. For this experimental example, about 191.2 mg of AgNO3 can be extracted from this target loaded portion. The PV silicon wafer powder contains about 33% silver content (62 mg), the particle size of the PV silicon wafer powder is initially less than 1 mm, and it can be easily collected and processed. Larger fragments of about 13 g of the PV silicon wafer are concentrated in the lower sieves (0.5 mm sieve, 0.075 mm sieve, etc.), and about 124.5 mg (65%) of AgNO3 can be extracted therefrom. After the screening process, a small portion of the fragmented PV silicon wafer remains in the higher sieves, and about 4.7 mg (2%) of AgNO3 can be extracted from these fragments.

[0106] Those skilled in the art should understand that many changes and / or modifications can be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad general scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the present embodiments should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects.

Claims

1. A method for separating materials of a photovoltaic (PV) module, the method comprising: Providing at least one sieve and at least one collection part, the sieve comprising a receiving part and a screening sieve mesh, the screening sieve mesh including a plurality of holes, wherein fragments of materials having a size smaller than the hole size of the plurality of holes can pass from the receiving part through the screening sieve mesh to the collection part; Introducing a load into the receiving part, the load comprising a first load part and a second load part, wherein The first load part comprises fragments of a first material of the photovoltaic module, and the second load part comprises fragments of a second material of the photovoltaic module, the second material being a material of a type different from the type of the first material; Adding one or more screening auxiliary materials to the receiving part; Agitating the at least one sieve, wherein the one or more screening auxiliary materials mechanically interact with the load to assist in reducing the size of the plurality of fragments of the first material to below the hole size.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein agitating the at least one sieve causes a part of the first load part to pass from the receiving part through the screening sieve mesh to the collection part, the size of the part being larger than the size of any part of the second load part that passes from the receiving part through the screening sieve mesh to the collection part.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein agitating the at least one sieve causes most of the first load part to pass from the receiving part through the screening sieve mesh to the collection part, and most of the second load part remains in the receiving part.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the most of the first load part accounts for at least 60wt%, at least 70wt%, at least 80wt%, at least 90wt%, at least 95wt% or at least 98wt% of the first load part.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the most of the second load part accounts for at least 60wt%, at least 70wt%, at least 80wt%, at least 90wt%, at least 95wt% or at least 98wt% of the second load part.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the size of the plurality of fragments of the first material is reduced to below the hole size faster than the size of the plurality of fragments of the second material is arbitrarily reduced to below the hole size.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shape of one or more of the screening auxiliary materials is spherical, spherical body, ellipsoidal, cubic, cuboid, cylindrical, conical or pyramidal.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the screening auxiliary materials comprise stainless steel, rubber, plastic or ceramic.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein adding the one or more screening aids to the receiving portion comprises adding at least 5, at least 10, at least 15, at least 20, at least 25, at least 30, at least 40, at least 50, at least 60, at least 100, at least 200, at least 500, at least 1000, at least 10000, between 2 and 10000, between 10 and 1000, between 100 and 500, between 500 and 1000, between 200 and 800, between 2 and 100, between 5 and 75, or between 10 and 60 screening aids to the receiving portion.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fragments of the first material are fragments of a PV silicon wafer of the photovoltaic (PV) module.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first load portion comprises a metallization element of the PV module or a fragment of the metallization element, and the metallization element or the fragment of the metallization element is attached to or associated with the fragment of the PV silicon wafer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the metallization element comprises one or more of the following materials: silver, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, and lead.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fragments of the second material are fragments of the glass of the PV module.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein agitating the at least one sieve comprises agitating the sieve intermittently.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein intermittently agitating the at least one sieve comprises continuously agitating the sieve during each of a plurality of first time periods, wherein consecutive first time periods of the plurality of first time periods are each separated by a respective second time period during which the sieve is substantially not agitated.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein during the first time period, the screening aid undergoes a vibratory motion within the receiving portion to mechanically interact with the load.

17. The method according to claim 15 or claim 16, wherein during the second time period, the vibratory motion of the screening aid is interrupted and the screening aid moves substantially horizontally within the receiving portion.

18. The method according to claim 15, 16, or 17, wherein: the first time period is one of the following: at least 2 seconds, at least 3 seconds, at least 4 seconds, at least 5 seconds, at least 6 seconds, at least 7 seconds, at least 8 seconds, at least 9 seconds, at least 10 seconds, at least 20 seconds, at least 30 seconds, at least 50 seconds, at least 100 seconds, or at least 5 minutes; and The second time period is one of the following: at least 2 seconds, at least 3 seconds, at least 4 seconds, at least 5 seconds, at least 6 seconds, at least 7 seconds, at least 8 seconds, at least 9 seconds, at least 10 seconds, at least 20 seconds, at least 30 seconds, at least 50 seconds, at least 100 seconds, or at least 5 minutes.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the total agitation time period, which is the sum of the first time periods, is at least 1 minute, at least 2 minutes, at least 3 minutes, at least 4 minutes, at least 5 minutes, at least 6 minutes, at least 7 minutes, at least 8 minutes, at least 9 minutes, at least 10 minutes, at least 15 minutes, at least 20 minutes, at least 30 minutes, or at least 1 hour.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first time period is at least three seconds, the second time period is at least 3 seconds, and the total agitation time period is at least 5 minutes.

21. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein agitating the at least one sieve causes the amplitude of the vertical movement of the sieve to be at least 1 mm, at least 1.5 mm, at least 2 mm, at least 2.5 mm, at least 3 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, or at least 50 mm.

22. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising providing a plurality of the sieves in a vertically stacked arrangement, wherein the receiving portion of at least one lower sieve of the plurality of sieves provides the collecting portion of at least one higher sieve of the plurality of sieves, and the at least one higher sieve is located above the at least one lower sieve.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the pore size of the screening mesh of the plurality of sieves decreases from the top to the bottom of the vertically stacked arrangement of the plurality of sieves.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein one or more screening aids are added to the receiving portions of two or more of the plurality of sieves.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the quantity of the screening aid added to each of the receiving portions added to the receiving portion and / or the physical parameters of the screening aid are different.

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