Recovering Polyethylene Glycol Terephthalate and Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Copolymer in Waste Solar Cells via a Novel Vacuum-Gasification-Condensation Process
Baojia Qin, Mi Lin, Xiaoyue Zhang, Zhenming Xu, Jujun Ruan
Abstract
Polyethylene glycol terephthalate and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer are applied as packaging materials in solar cells. Abundant polyethylene glycol terephthalate and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer were produced with the production of waste solar cells. To our knowledge, few technologies have been reported about the disposal of polyethylene glycol terephthalate and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. In this paper, a novel technology of vacuum-gasification-condensation was developed to decompose polyethylene glycol terephthalate and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. At 505 °C and 10 Pa, polyethylene glycol terephthalate and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer were decomposed and gasified. Then, 3,6,8,8-tetramethyl-2,3,4,7,8,8a-hexahydro-1H-3a,7-methanoazulene (cedrene isomer) and cedrene were produced in gasification products. They are scarce and expensive medicinal intermediates for cancer rehabilitation, and their productive rates were 9.65 and 0.51 wt %, respectively. This paper provides a pressing needed technology of decomposing polyethylene glycol terephthalate and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, which will contribute to the sustainable development of the photovoltaic industry. Meanwhile, how to improve the productive rate and develop the directional enrichment technology will be the focus of future work on waste solar cells recovery.