South Korean researchers develop high-purity silicon recycling for solar panels

Researchers from the Korea Institute of Energy Research and Chungnam National University have developed a method to extract and purify silicon from end-of-life solar panels. The team successfully purified the silicon to 99.95 percent, allowing it to be converted into silicon nitride, a high-value hard ceramic used in bearings.

This development addresses a growing waste crisis. Estimates from IRENA and the IEA suggest the world could accumulate up to 78 million tons of retired solar panels by 2050. Currently, recycling is often economically unviable; the cost to recycle silicon panels is estimated between $600 and $1,000 per tonne, while recovered materials often fetch significantly less. Many panels are currently downcycled into low-value shredded glass rather than undergoing genuine material recovery.