From electronic wastes to efficient and specific filtration membranes: A photovoltaic upcycling case enabling silver urban mining
Bo Han, Ying Sim, Qingyu Yan, Nripan Mathews, Jean‐Christophe P. Gabriel
Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions has driven research into the reuse of photovoltaic (PV) waste. In this study, a bimetallic metal-organic framework (Cu/Ag MOF) was synthesized directly from PV waste leachate and subsequently integrated into a thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane for nanofiltration-based silver (Ag) recovery. The optimized TFN membrane demonstrated high selectivity of ( < S i > < / i > A g + , C u 2 + = 7.99 ) and recovery of 99.1 % for Ag over five repeated filtration cycles while maintaining the membrane integrity. The membrane also exhibited exceptional antifouling performance, with a flux recovery rate (FRR) of 92.8 %, and high stability with only 0.5 % detachment of Cu/Ag MOF after prolonged use. Additionally, the high water permeability (58.6 L/(m 2 ·h·bar)) of the TFN membrane has enabled efficient filtration performance. These results highlight the feasibility of Cu/Ag MOF-based TFN membranes for sustainable Ag recovery from PV waste and likely other electronic waste leachates, contributing to circular economy initiatives and resource recovery technologies. • A case study on closing the loop of photovoltaic waste utilization. • Development of a Cu/Ag metal-organic framework (MOF) synthesized directly from photovoltaic (PV) waste leachate. • Fabrication of a thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane incorporating the Cu/Ag MOFs for silver recovery. • TFN membrane performing versus Ag + recovery from PV waste leachate, permeability, regeneration, antifouling and anti-aging. • Improving the environmental and economic benefits by increasing the utilization of PV waste.