Technology Licensing Opportunity: Electrochemical Recycling Technology for Sustainable Recovery of Tellerium and Cadmium from CdTE Photovoltaics
ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF
About this opportunity
Electrochemical Recycling Technology for Sustainable Recovery of Tellurium and Cadmium from CdTe Photovoltaics In-situ oxidant generation reduces chemical use and environmental impact in solar module recycling Technology Summary This technology enables electrochemical extraction and recovery of tellurium (Te) and cadmium (Cd) from end-of-life and manufacturing scrap cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic cells. Unlike current recycling methods that rely on externally supplied hydrogen peroxide (H?O?) in acid leaching, this process generates oxidants in situ from oxygen or air using electrochemical methods. The approach decreases reliance on bulk chemicals and significantly lowers the carbon footprint of recycling operations, while still producing Te metal and Cd suitable for reuse in photov...