On October 14, the pilot demonstration line for photovoltaic (PV) module crushing, separation and recycling, constructed by CHN Energy Longyuan Environmental Protection in Qufu, Shandong Province, officially entered operation. The demonstration line employs advanced processes including aluminum frame removal, precision glass separation, physical crushing and multi-stage material sorting, enabling the efficient recovery of multiple materials from PV modules such as aluminum frames, glass, silicon, copper and EVA back sheets.

PV modules are typically designed for a service life of 15 to 25 years. As early-generation systems begin reaching decommissioning age, the volume of discarded modules has risen sharply. Currently, most recycling practices focus only on the removal of aluminum frames, while efficient recovery systems for other high-value materials remain underdeveloped. This results in low resource utilization rates and potential environmental risks.

The successful operation of this demonstration line establishes a technological foundation for the large-scale and resource-efficient recycling of retired PV modules. It also supports the development of a national circular economy system for waste utilization and represents an important step toward achieving full life-cycle green management within the PV industry.