UC research team develops new bioprocess to recycle photovoltaic waste
The recycled waste can then be used as biomedicine and biotechnology.
English version: Diana Taborda
A team of researchers (including students) of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) is developing a project that aims to create an innovative process to recycle solar panels waste, a highly toxic waste for the environment, by using bacteria that capture the waste, allowing their use in areas such as Biomedicine and Biotechnology.
Portugal is a country that invests in the production of solar energy generated through photovoltaic panels. “SUSTe - Development of SUStainable and integrative bioprocess for the recovery of TellurIum-based nanoparticles from photovoltaic wastes” is a project aimed at solving an environmental issue that is not a problem yet, but will soon be: what to do with so many solar panels reaching the end of their lifespan?
The solution proposed by the team led by Jorge Pereira, researcher at the Chemical Process Engineering and Forest Products Research Centre (CIEPQPF) of FCTUC Department of Chemical Engineering, uses a model of circular economy to "give metals a second life. In this case, we take a metal, tellurium, a waste product from photovoltaic panels, and give it an improved potential. For example, if it is in the form of nanoparticles for a biomedical use, it will have a much higher value. The idea is to use bacteria that accumulate the tellurium that is in the residues of cadmium/ tellurium thin film panels, to then develop an integrated and sustainable platform that can be used in industry," explains the FCTUC researcher.
The team is now starting the characterisation of the obtained nanoparticles, in order to find out if they have the physical and chemical properties to be tested as biosensors or in other biomedical applications. In a next phase, the idea is to move on to more complex compounds, that is, the real waste from solar panels. However, it is necessary "to find a company that works in the recycling of this type of equipment or companies that produce and make the recovery of these panels", concluded Jorge Pereira.
Besides Jorge Pereira, the Project team includes Rita Branco and Pedro Farias - CEMMPRE- Center for Mechanical Engineering Materials and Processes; José Paixão - Centre for Physics of the University of Coimbra (CFisUC); Inês Costa, University of Coimbra; Helena Ribeiro and Carmem Gonçalves - CIEPQPF.