Recycling device and recycling method for waste photovoltaic panel

Abstract

The invention provides a recovery device and a recovery method for waste photovoltaic panels. The recovery device comprises separation equipment, screening equipment for screening separated materials and recovery equipment for recovering a solvent, the separation equipment comprises a pressure maintaining unit used for loading the waste photovoltaic panels and a steam generating unit used for conveying steam to the pressure maintaining unit. The recovery equipment comprises a water storage bin provided with a heating system and a condensation system connected with the water storage bin. According to the method, the waste photovoltaic panel is treated based on the organic solvent steam technology, the organic solvent has swelling and dissolving effects on EVA, separation of glass and EVA is achieved through organic solvent steam, the granularity of the separated glass is small, other parts maintain the original size, and separation of the glass and the EVA can be achieved through screening; the steam generation unit and the pressure maintaining unit are independently arranged, so that pollution of the organic solvent is avoided, the steam generation unit is not influenced in the separation process, the steam generation unit does not need to be cooled, the organic solvent is conveniently recycled, and the recycling cost is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of photovoltaic panel recycling, in particular to a recycling device and method for waste photovoltaic panels. BACKGROUND

[0002] Photovoltaic panels have advantages and are widely used in the field of power generation. With the proposal of the double carbon target and the need for clean energy, photovoltaic panels have rapidly developed worldwide, with a cumulative installation capacity of 2.0 GW. The retirement of photovoltaic panels generates a large amount of electronic waste, and the recycling of waste photovoltaic panels can effectively reduce environmental pollution and alleviate resource shortages, thus having important environmental and economic benefits.

[0003] Waste photovoltaic panels mainly include glass, EVA, silicon cells, and back panels. Glass and silicon cells have similar properties, and it is difficult to separate them after mixing. Separating glass from photovoltaic panels to avoid mixing with silicon cells is the key to efficient recycling of photovoltaic panels.

[0004] Existing processes mainly use mechanical peeling, mechanical crushing, pyrolysis, and organic solvent swelling methods for recycling. Mechanical peeling can achieve efficient removal of glass, but it is difficult to adapt to large-scale recycling due to small processing capacity. Mechanical crushing technology has a large processing capacity and simple process, but it can cause mixing of glass and silicon cells. The pyrolysis process can cause environmental pollution and lead to mixing of glass and silicon cells. The organic solvent swelling technology can remove glass, but it consumes a large amount of organic solvent, has high cost, and can cause environmental pollution. Efficient glass separation technology is of great significance for the resource utilization of waste photovoltaic panels.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a waste photovoltaic panel recycling device and method that has high separation efficiency, is economical and environmentally friendly, and is suitable for waste photovoltaic panels.

[0006] A solar cell module glass recycling device is disclosed in Chinese Utility Model Patent CN221246460U published on July 2, 2024, which comprises a separation box. The separation box is provided with a heating assembly, a peeling assembly, and a glue brushing assembly in sequence along the moving direction of the solar cell module. Internal conveying assemblies are arranged on both sides of the peeling assembly. The peeling assembly is connected with a water spraying assembly, and the glue brushing assembly is connected with a hot steam assembly. In this utility model patent, the solar cell module is conveyed into the separation box by the front-end conveying assembly. After being heated by the heating assembly, the solar cell module passes through the peeling assembly, which separates the glass, photovoltaic components, and back panel. The glass, photovoltaic components, and back panel pass through the glue brushing assembly to remove the adhesive film and fall on the rear-end conveying assembly. The water spraying assembly makes the adhesive film initially ineffective, and the hot steam assembly makes the adhesive film further ineffective, preventing the adhesive film from sticking to the equipment and affecting the operation of the equipment. However, this patent does not disclose the separation and recycling of waste photovoltaic panels, nor does it disclose an efficient glass separation technology. SUMMARY

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a recycling device and method for waste photovoltaic panels, which can solve the problems of high separation cost and environmental pollution in the prior art.

[0008] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme of the present application is as follows: The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels comprises a separation device, a screening device for screening the separated materials, and a recycling device for recycling the solvent. The separation device comprises a pressure maintaining unit for loading the waste photovoltaic panels and a steam generating unit for supplying steam to the pressure maintaining unit. The recycling device comprises a water storage bin provided with a heating system and a condensing system connected with the water storage bin. The present application processes the waste photovoltaic panels based on the organic solvent steam technology. The organic solvent has swelling and dissolving effects on EVA. The separation of glass and EVA is realized by the organic solvent steam. The particle size of the separated glass is small, and the other parts maintain the original size. The separation of the two can be realized by screening. The steam generating unit and the pressure maintaining unit are separately arranged, which avoids the pollution of the organic solvent. The separation process has no effect on the steam generating unit, and the steam generating unit does not need to be cooled. The recycling of the organic solvent is facilitated, and the recycling cost is reduced.

[0009] Further, the steam generating unit comprises a steam generating shell and a heating assembly arranged at the bottom of the steam generating shell. The steam generating shell is connected with the pressure maintaining unit through a steam conveying pipeline. A valve is arranged on the steam conveying pipeline.

[0010] Further, a pressure relief valve one and a temperature and pressure monitoring assembly one are arranged on the steam generating shell.

[0011] Further, the pressure maintaining unit comprises a pressure maintaining shell. A cooling assembly is arranged outside the pressure maintaining shell. A discharge port is arranged at the bottom of the pressure maintaining shell. An inlet port and a pressure relief valve two are arranged at the top of the pressure maintaining shell.

[0012] Further, the cooling assembly comprises a cooling water jacket arranged on the pressure maintaining shell.

[0013] Further, a temperature and pressure monitoring assembly two is arranged on the pressure maintaining shell. The temperature and pressure monitoring assembly two and the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly one are connected with a data acquisition system.

[0014] Further, the screening device adopts a double-layer screen structure. A spraying assembly is arranged in the screening device.

[0015] Further, it further comprises a crushing device for crushing the screened materials. The crushing device adopts a shearing crushing device. The crushed materials enter a second screening device. Then, part of the materials enters a gravity sorting device. Further, it further comprises a crushing device for crushing the screened materials. The crushing device adopts a shearing crushing device. The crushed materials enter a second screening device. Then, part of the materials enters a gravity sorting device.

[0016] The recycling method of the recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels comprises a separation method A, which comprises the following steps: A1. The waste photovoltaic panel is fed into the pressure maintaining system through the feeding port, and the feeding port is closed and sealed; A2. The steam generation system is started, and the valve is opened; A3. When the monitoring data of the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly reaches the set parameters and the temperature and pressure are the same, the valve and the steam generation system are closed; A4. When the material in the pressure maintaining system reaches the set time, the cooling assembly is started until the temperature is lower than the boiling point of the solvent; A5. The discharge port is opened, and the separated material is obtained.

[0017] Further, the recycling method of the recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels comprises a material recycling method B, which comprises the following steps: B1. The separated material is screened at 20 mm and 0.1 mm, wherein <0.1 mm is waste liquid, 0.1-20 mm is glass, and >20 mm is material to be crushed; B2. The material with a size greater than 20 mm is naturally dried and fed into a shearing crushing device for crushing; B3. The shearing crushed material is screened at 0.25 mm, and the material with a size greater than 0.25 mm is recovered as an organic component, and the material with a size less than 0.25 mm is material to be sorted; B4. The material with a size less than 0.25 mm is fed into a gravity sorting device to obtain floating and sinking products; the floating product is a mixture of the organic component and the material with a size greater than 0.25 mm, and the sinking product is mainly silicon battery pieces.

[0018] Further, a sorting heavy liquid is added to the gravity sorting device to assist the sorting process, and the sorting heavy liquid is a sodium chloride solution, and the adjustable density range is 1.0-1.33 g / cm 3 .

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present application are: 1. The recycling device of the present application takes steam technology as the core, heats the organic solvent to generate steam, which can effectively increase the temperature and pressure in the reactor, promote the separation of glass from the photovoltaic panel, and has high separation efficiency; 2. The recycling device of the present application is based on the swelling and dissolution effect of the organic solvent steam on EVA, and the consumption of the required organic solvent is greatly reduced, the production cost is low, and the environmental impact is small; 3. In the application process of the recycling device of the present application, the steam generation system and the pressure maintaining system are separately arranged, which avoids the pollution of the organic solvent, and the separation process has no effect on the steam generation device, and the steam generation device does not need to be cooled; 4. The recycling device of the present application is provided with a nested cooling assembly, which has high cooling efficiency, uses tap water as the cooling liquid, has low cost and can be reused; 5. The screening device of the present application is provided with a spraying assembly for recycling water, which enters a solvent recovery system for recovery when the organic solvent concentration is higher than a certain concentration; 6 The recycling of the present application mainly includes separation, crushing, screening and sorting links, a shearing crusher is used to crush the photovoltaic panel from which the glass is removed, the crushed material is screened, and the fine particle product is sorted to obtain a silicon cell piece; 7 The crushing link of the present application uses a shearing crusher, which has a stripping effect and can realize the stripping of the organic component and the silicon cell piece; 8. The present application fully utilizes the difference between the organic component and the silicon cell piece, and in the shearing crushing process, the organic component is relatively soft and difficult to crush to a fine particle level, and the silicon cell piece is relatively brittle and easy to crush to a fine particle level, and screening is used to preliminarily realize the separation of the organic component and the silicon cell piece; 9. The sorting is realized based on the density difference of the material, and the sorting heavy liquid used is sodium chloride solution, which is non-polluting, low in cost and can be recycled, and has a large density adjustment range; 10. The present application uses a process of pre-removing glass to avoid the mixing of glass and silicon cell piece, which helps to obtain high-quality products and reduces the difficulty of subsequent sorting; 11. The present application avoids the mixing of glass and silicon cell piece in the conventional crushing and pyrolysis process and the gas pollution in the pyrolysis process, and compared with the organic solvent swelling technology, the use of steam technology reduces the consumption of organic solvent, and the present application has the advantages of high efficiency, environmental protection and the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0021] Figure 1 is a structural schematic view of the separation device of the present application; Figure 2 is a structural schematic view of the recycling device of the present application; Figure 3 is a process flow diagram of the recycling method of the present application.

[0022] The reference numerals in the diagram are as follows: 1. Steam generator shell; 2. Heating assembly; 3. Temperature and pressure monitoring assembly one; 4. Valve; 5. Steam delivery pipeline; 6. Inlet; 7. Temperature and pressure monitoring assembly two; 8. Outlet; 9. Discharge port; 10. Pressure holding shell; 11. Cooling water inlet; 12. Cooling water outlet; 13. Data acquisition system; 14. Pressure relief valve one; 15. Pressure relief valve two; 16. Water storage tank; 17. Water inlet; 18. Heating system; 19. Water outlet; 20. Steam delivery pipeline; 21. Condensation system; 22. Recovery outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels described in Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes a separation device, a screening device for screening the separated material, a crushing device for crushing a portion of the screened material, a second screening device for screening the crushed material again, and a recycling device for recovering solvent. The separation device includes a pressure holding unit for loading waste photovoltaic panels and a steam generating unit for supplying steam to the pressure holding unit.

[0025] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, the pressure holding unit includes a pressure holding housing 10, with a discharge port 8 at the bottom and a feed port 6 at the top. A cooling assembly is provided on the outside of the pressure holding housing 10 for cooling purposes.

[0026] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 As shown, the steam generating unit includes a steam generating housing 1 and a heating assembly 2 disposed at the bottom of the steam generating housing 1, which provides energy for steam formation. The steam generating housing 1 is connected to the pressure holding unit 10 via a steam delivery pipe 5, which is equipped with a valve 4. Once the temperature and pressure within the pressure holding system 10 reach the set values, the valve 4 is closed to isolate the two systems. The heating assembly 2 adopts a structure found in the prior art.

[0027] In use, the waste photovoltaic panel is put into the pressure maintaining shell 10 of the pressure maintaining unit from the feeding port 6. The organic solvent is added into the steam generating shell 1 of the steam generating unit to generate the organic solvent steam which is delivered to the pressure maintaining unit by the steam delivery pipeline 5. The separation of the waste photovoltaic panel in the pressure maintaining shell 10 of the pressure maintaining unit is promoted. The present application uses the organic solvent steam to separate the glass of the waste photovoltaic panel. Under the action of the organic solvent steam, the EVA in the photovoltaic panel swells to cause the glass to fall off, thereby realizing the separation of the glass and other components. The device realizes the separation of the glass based on the steam, which can greatly reduce the consumption of the organic solvent and reduce the environmental impact.

[0028] Further, as shown in Figure 1 , the pressure maintaining shell 10 is provided with a pressure relief valve two 15 at the top to play a safety protection role. As shown in Figure 1 , the steam generating shell 1 is provided with a pressure relief valve one 14, which also plays a safety protection role.

[0029] Example 2, which is different from example 1, as shown in Figure 1 , the pressure maintaining shell 10 is further provided with a temperature and pressure monitoring assembly two 7, and the steam generating shell 1 is provided with a temperature and pressure monitoring assembly one 3. The temperature and pressure monitoring assembly adopts the structure in the prior art to play a role in real-time monitoring of the system temperature and pressure.

[0030] Further, as shown in Figure 1 , the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly two 7 and the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly one 3 are connected with the data acquisition system 13.

[0031] Example 3, which is different from example 1, as shown in Figure 1 , the cooling assembly includes a cooling water jacket 9 arranged on the pressure maintaining shell 10. The cooling water jacket 9 is provided with a cooling water inlet 11 on one side and a cooling water outlet 12 on the other side. In use, after the reaction in the pressure maintaining shell 10 is completed, the cooling water inlet 11 and the cooling water outlet 12 are opened until the temperature of the pressure maintaining system is lower than the boiling point of the organic solvent by 30℃. After the temperature of the pressure maintaining system is reduced to the set value, the discharge port 8 is opened to collect the material.

[0032] Example 4, which is different from example 3, the screening device adopts a double-layer screen structure, and a spraying assembly in the prior art is arranged in the screening device. The screen hole sizes of the double-layer screen are 20mm and 0.1mm respectively. The separated materials are screened to obtain the photovoltaic panel from which the glass is removed, the glass and the waste liquid.

[0033] Example 5, which is different from example 4, the crushing device adopts a shearing crushing device. The crushed material enters a second screening device, and the screen hole size of the second screening device is 0.25mm.

[0034] Example 6, which differs from Example 5 in that it further comprises a gravity separation device, the separation heavy liquid being a sodium chloride solution, the adjustable density range being 1.0-1.33 g / cm 3 .

[0035] Example 7, which differs from Example 1 in that, as shown in Figure 2 , the recovery device comprises a water storage bin 16 and a condensing system 21 connected to the water storage bin 16. The bottom of the water storage bin 16 is provided with a heating system 18. The heating system 18 adopts the structure in the prior art. One side of the water storage bin 16 is provided with a water inlet 17, and the other side is provided with a water outlet 19.

[0036] Further, the water storage bin 16 is connected to the inlet of the condensing system 21 through a recovery steam pipeline 20. The condensing system 21 is provided with a recovery outlet 22.

[0037] In use, the sprayed solution in the screening device enters the water storage bin 16 through the water inlet 17. After the water inlet is completed, the water inlet valve is closed to isolate the water outlet bin system from the air. The heating system 18 is set to a temperature of 5°C lower than the boiling point of the solvent to avoid boiling of the solvent. The volatilized solvent enters the condensing system 21 through the recovery steam pipeline 20. After the solvent is recovered, water and solvent are recovered from the water outlet 19 and the recovery outlet 22, respectively.

[0038] Example 8, which differs from Example 1 in that, as shown in Figure 3 , the recovery method of the recovery device for waste photovoltaic panels comprises a separation method A, which comprises the following steps: A1. The waste photovoltaic panels are fed into the pressure maintaining shell 10 through the inlet for steam separation of the waste photovoltaic panels, the inlet 6 is closed and sealed; A2. Open the steam generation unit and open the valve 4; A3. When the monitoring data of the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly one 3 and the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly two 7 reaches the set parameters and the temperature and pressure are the same, close the valve 4 and the steam generation system; A4. When the material in the pressure maintaining shell 10 reaches the set time, open the cooling assembly until the temperature is lower than the boiling point of the solvent; A5. Open the discharge port 8 to collect the separated material.

[0039] Example 9, which differs from Example 8 in that, as shown in Figure 3 , the recovery method of the recovery device for waste photovoltaic panels comprises a material recovery method B, which comprises the following steps: B1. The separated material is screened by a screening device to 20mm and 0.1mm, wherein <0.1mm is waste liquid, 0.1-20mm is glass, and >20mm is material to be crushed; B2. The >20mm material is air dried naturally and fed into a shearing and crushing device for crushing; B3. The shearing and crushed material is screened through a second screening device with a 0.25mm screen, the >0.25mm material is recovered as the organic component, and the <0.25mm material is the material to be sorted; B4. The <0.25mm material is fed into a gravity separation device, and a sodium chloride solution is added as a separation heavy liquid, to obtain floating and sinking products; the floating product is a mixture of the organic component and the >0.25mm material, and the sinking product is mainly the silicon battery sheet. Thus, the silicon battery sheet is recovered.

[0040] In addition, the solution sprayed in the screening device enters the water storage bin 16 through the water inlet 17, after the water inlet is closed, the water outlet system is isolated from air. The heating system 18 is set to a temperature of 5℃ lower than the boiling point of the solvent to avoid boiling of the solvent, and the volatilized solvent enters the condensing system 21 through the recovery steam pipeline 20. After the solvent is recovered, the water and the solvent are recovered from the water outlet 19 and the recovery outlet 22 respectively.

[0041] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any modification or equivalent replacement of the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments within the spirit and principles of the present application, or any modification or equivalent replacement of part or all of the technical features of the foregoing embodiments, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application, should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels, characterized by, The separation device, the screening device for screening the separated materials and the recovery device for recovering the solvent, the separation device comprises a pressure maintaining unit for loading the waste photovoltaic panel and a steam generating unit for feeding steam to the pressure maintaining unit; the recovery device comprises a water storage bin (16) provided with a heating system (18) and a condensing system (21) connected with the water storage bin (16).

2. The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam generating unit comprises a steam generating shell (1) and a heating assembly (2) arranged at the bottom of the steam generating shell (1), and the steam generating shell (1) is connected with the pressure maintaining unit (10) through a steam conveying pipeline (5), and a valve (4) is arranged on the steam conveying pipeline (5).

3. The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to claim 2, characterized in that, A pressure relief valve (14) and a temperature and pressure monitoring assembly (3) are arranged on the steam generating shell (1).

4. The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pressure maintaining unit (10) comprises a pressure maintaining shell (10), and a cooling assembly is arranged outside the pressure maintaining shell (10), a discharge port (8) is arranged at the bottom of the pressure maintaining shell (10), and an inlet port (6) and a pressure relief valve (15) are arranged at the top of the pressure maintaining shell (10).

5. The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to claim 4, characterized in that, The cooling assembly comprises a cooling water jacket (9) arranged on the pressure maintaining shell (10).

6. The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, A temperature and pressure monitoring assembly (7) is arranged on the pressure maintaining shell (10), and the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly (7) and the temperature and pressure monitoring assembly (3) are connected with a data acquisition system (13).

7. The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The screening device adopts a double-layer screen structure, and a spraying assembly is arranged in the screening device.

8. The recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The screening device also comprises a crushing device for crushing part of the screened materials, the crushing device adopts a shearing crushing device, the crushed materials enter a second screening device, and then part of the materials enter a gravity sorting device.

9. The recycling method for the recycling device of waste photovoltaic panels according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The separation method A comprises the following steps: A1. The waste photovoltaic panel is fed into the pressure maintaining system (10) through the inlet port, the inlet port (6) is closed and sealed; A2. The steam generating system (1) is started, and the valve (4) is opened; A3. When the monitoring data of the temperature and pressure monitoring assemblies (3) and (7) reach the set parameters and the temperature and pressure are the same, the valve (4) and the steam generating system (1) are closed; A4. When the materials in the pressure maintaining system (10) reach the set time, the cooling assembly is started until the temperature is lower than the boiling point of the solvent; A5. The discharge port (8) is opened to collect the separated materials.

10. The recycling method of the recycling device for waste photovoltaic panels according to claim 9, characterized in that, The material recovery method B comprises the following steps: B1. The separated materials are screened at 20mm and 0.1mm, wherein <0.1mm is waste liquid, 0.1-20mm is glass, and >20mm is material to be crushed; B2. The >20mm materials are naturally air-dried and fed into the shearing crushing device for crushing; B3. The shearing crushed materials are screened at 0.25mm, the >0.25mm materials are recovered as organic components, and the <0.25mm materials are materials to be sorted; B4. The <0.25mm materials are fed into the gravity sorting device to obtain floating and sinking products; the floating product is a mixture of the organic components and the >0.25mm materials, and the sinking product is mainly silicon battery pieces.

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