High-quality oil recovered from waste solar panel through using microwave-assisted pyrolysis

With the increase of industrial progress and the global demand for carbon reduction, the amount of electric power from renewable energy sources is increasing. Solar energy can be effectively harvested and converted into electricity using a photovoltaic system, and the deployment of solar panels is indeed increasing globally. Recycling decommissioned solar panels is an issue that needs to be addressed. Therefore, in this study, the waste solar panels were addressed by microwave-assisted pyrolysis technology for high-quality oil production. The effects of sheet size (8×8, 12×12, 16×16, 20×20, and 24×24 mm²), microwave power (400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 W), and reaction temperature (450, 500, 550, 600, and 650 °C) on the mass yields and components of oils were studied, and the thermal efficiency and recovery efficiency of the pyrolysis process were also investigated. The results showed that the mass yield of oil varied in the range of 22.86–51.49 wt%, and when the pyrolysis conditions were fixed at 20×20 mm², 600 W, and 550 °C, the highest mass yield was 51.49 wt%, and the highest thermal efficiency and the highest recovery efficiency were 45.46 % and 75.41 %, respectively. In the oil components, the contents of aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and oxygenated derivatives of hydrocarbons varied in the range of 4.03–71.00 area%, 14.26–35.79 area%, and 10.17–67.68 area%, respectively. The main content of aliphatic hydrocarbons was alkenes, and the content of alkenes varied from 1.88 area% to 34.83 area%.