Sustainable Recycling of Metal Solid Waste and By-Products in the Photovoltaic Industry
A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Extractive Metallurgy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2026 | Viewed by 39
Special Issue Editors
Interests: high-entropy alloys; recycling of silicon waste; high performance Al alloys; silicon carbide
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: hydrometallurgy; lithium-ion battery; solvent extraction; recycling; circular economy
Interests: mineral processing; flotation; hydrometallurgy; leaching; electrochemistry; resource recycling; environmental remediation; acid mine drainage; sulfide passivation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rapid expansion of the global photovoltaic industry has created an urgent sustainability challenge in managing silicon-rich solid waste generated throughout the PV lifecycle. These materials originate from multiple sources including primary silicon production slag, manufacturing processes such as kerf loss and defective cells, and the impending decommissioning of gigawatt-scale end-of-life panels. The substantial volume of this waste stream threatens to undermine the industry's environmental credentials, as conventional disposal methods risk irreversible loss of valuable materials like high-purity silicon while creating potential environmental contamination. This situation represents a critical strategic imperative demanding advanced recycling technologies to establish a genuine circular economy. Transforming these silicon-based wastes into valuable secondary resources is essential for reducing the industry's environmental footprint, securing supply chains against resource scarcity, and ensuring long-term sustainability. The intrinsic value locked within these waste streams presents both a significant opportunity for resource recovery and a critical test for applying industrial ecology principles to the clean energy sector. Addressing this challenge requires coordinated research efforts to develop economically viable and environmentally sound solutions for handling the full spectrum of PV-related silicon waste, ultimately supporting a sustainable energy transition.
We welcome contributions to this Special Issue that address advanced recycling and upcycling technologies for silicon-rich PV waste. We are particularly interested in strategies that transform these secondary resources into high-value materials, supporting a circular economy and enhancing the overall sustainability of the photovoltaic industry.
Suggested themes and article types for submissions
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
Advanced sorting and pretreatment; Thermal and mechanical separation; Hydrometallurgical purification; High-purity silicon recovery; Kerf loss valorization; Silver and metal recycling; Life cycle assessment (LCA); Novel upcycling applications.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Yongsheng Ren
Prof. Dr. Alexandre Chagnes
Dr. Ilhwan Park
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- photovoltaic waste
- solid waste recycling
- upcycling
- synthesis techniques
- sustainable materials
- circular economy
- silicon material
- hydrometallurgy
- end-of-life photovoltaic modules
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
