TWI816190B - Swelling agent and recycling method for sheet structure using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A swelling agent and a recycling method for a sheet structure with using the same are provided. The swelling agent includes a surfactant and a solvent. The surfactant includes an anionic surfactant, a silicon-containing surfactant, or a combination thereof. The solvent includes water.

Description

Swelling agent and plate structure recycling method using the same

This disclosure relates to swelling agents and board structure recycling methods using swelling agents.

The current global energy crisis is becoming increasingly serious, and the world is turning its attention to renewable energy. Solar power generation is a renewable and environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. During the power generation process, no greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are produced, so it does not cause pollution to the environment; however, the production process of solar panels produces a large amount of toxic wastewater, which needs to be disposed of separately. In addition, discarded solar cells are also a problem. Without a proper recycling mechanism, they will cause environmental pollution.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for a recycling method of solar panels to recycle reusable materials to reduce the burden on the environment.

This disclosure is about recycling methods of swelling agents and plate structures.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a swelling agent is provided, which includes a surfactant and a solvent. Surfactants include anionic surfactants, silicon-containing surfactants, or combinations thereof. Solvents include water.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for recycling a board structure using a swelling agent is provided, wherein the board structure has a substrate and a packaging material layer disposed on the substrate. The recycling method includes the following steps. Soaking step, which soaks the plate structure in a swelling agent. Swelling agents include surfactants and solvents. Surfactants include anionic surfactants, silicon-containing surfactants, or combinations thereof. Solvents include water. The separation step is to separate the substrate and the packaging material layer by applying an external force to the board structure.

In order to have a better understanding of the above and other aspects of the present disclosure, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:

102,202: Plate structure

104:Substrate

106,206: Encapsulation material layer

350:Transmission element

352:First tank

356, 366, 368, 370: Cleaning tank

360:Pipeline

362:Second tank

364:Concentration/purification device

372: Sorting device

374:Drying device

454,454A: Swelling agent

458:Lotion

Figure 1 illustrates a recycling method of a panel structure according to an embodiment.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which illustrates a recycling method of the panel structure 102 according to an embodiment, such as a recycling method of the panel structure 102 of a solar photovoltaic module. But the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, the panel structure 102 may be obtained from a discarded solar photovoltaic module by removing electronic equipment components such as junction boxes and aluminum frames.

The board structure 102 has a substrate 104 and a packaging material layer 106 . The packaging material layer 106 is on the substrate 104 . Although FIG. 1 shows the encapsulation material layer 106 on one surface of the substrate 10, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the encapsulating material layer 106 may be on opposite surfaces of the substrate 104 .

The substrate 104 contains silicon element. The substrate 104 may include silicone-containing glass wait.

The encapsulating material layer 106 includes thermosetting resin and adhesion promoter. In one embodiment, the encapsulating material layer 106 may be formed of encapsulating material. The packaging material may include thermosetting resin and adhesion promoter.

Thermoset resins may include ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). In one embodiment, ethylene may account for 67 wt% of the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. Vinyl acetate can account for 33 wt% of the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. But the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Thermosetting resin can account for 96~98wt% of the packaging material.

The adhesion promoter can be used to enhance the adhesion between the packaging material layer 106 of the substrate 104 . Adhesion promoters may include silane. Adhesion promoter can account for 0.2~1wt% of the packaging material composition.

The composition of the encapsulating material may further include a curing agent, a light absorber, a light stabilizer, an antioxidant, a combination of the above, or other suitable additives. Curing agents include, for example, tert-butyl peroxycarbonate-2-ethylhexyl carbonate (TBEC), Luperox TBEC, or other suitable substances. The curing agent can account for 1~2wt% of the packaging material composition. Light absorbers may include, for example, UV light absorbers such as Cyasorb 531, Tinuvin 234, and the like. The light absorber can account for 0.2~0.35wt% of the packaging material composition. Light stabilizers may include, for example, UV stabilizers, Tinuvin 123, or Tinuvin 770, and the like. Light stabilizers can account for 0.1~0.2wt% of the packaging material composition. Antioxidants may include, for example, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and the like. Antioxidants can account for 0.2~1wt% of the packaging material composition. But the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Please refer to Figure 1. The transmission element 350 can be used to transport the plate structure 102 to the first tank 352, so that the plate structure 102 is soaked in the swelling agent 454 in the first tank 352 (the composition of the surfactant in the swelling agent 454 , please refer to Table 1), thereby performing the soaking step on the plate structure 102.

In an embodiment, the encapsulation material layer 106 of the board structure 102 can be expanded into the encapsulation material layer 206 of the board structure 202 through a soaking step. The soaking step will not substantially change the volume and size of the substrate 104, but the expansion and deformation of the packaging material layer 206 will cause tensile stress between the packaging material layer 206 and the substrate 104, which will reduce the adhesion between the substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206. weaken. That is to say, after the soaking step, the adhesive force between the substrate 104 of the plate structure 202 and the packaging material layer 206 is weaker than the adhesive force between the substrate 104 of the plate structure 102 and the packaging material layer 106 before the soaking step. Therefore, the board structure 202 can easily separate the substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206 with a small external force. In addition, the tensile stress may cause the two sides of the substrate 104 in the plate structure 202 to be unevenly stressed, thus causing the substrate 104 of the plate structure 202 to fragment and form discontinuous and smaller fragments. In some embodiments, the chip substrate 104 can still remain adhered to the encapsulating material layer 206 having a continuous layer film structure. But the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, the plate structure 102 can be a small module unit (for example, with a side length between 5 and 50 cm) that is cut before the soaking step, thereby having a larger specific surface area, thereby increasing the resistance to the swelling agent 454 absorption efficiency.

In embodiments, the swelling agent 454 includes surfactants and solvents.

Surfactants include anionic surfactants, silicon-containing surfactants agents, or a combination of the above.

The anionic surfactant can penetrate into the space between the cross-linked molecular chains of the thermosetting resin of the encapsulating material layer 106 through the soaking step, thereby expanding the volume to form the encapsulating material layer 206 . Anionic surfactants may include sodium 4-n-octylbenzene sulfonate, sodium decylbenzene sulfonate, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium 1-octyl sulfate, dodecane Sodium sulfate, sodium tetradecyl sulfate, sodium cetyl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfonate, sodium tetradecyl sulfonate, sodium cetyl sulfonate, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate ester, or a combination of the above.

The silicon-containing surfactant can be used to weaken the adhesion between the substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206 . Silicon-containing surfactants may include n-dodecyltriethoxysilane, phenyldecyltriethoxysilane, stearoxytrimethylsilane, methyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, Phenyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, vinyldiethoxymethylsilane, hexyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, or a combination of the above.

The surfactant accounts for 0.02~20wt%, or 0.05~20wt%, or 1.05~20wt%, or 5.05~20wt%, or 0.02~10wt%, or 0.05~10wt%, or 1.05~10wt%, or 5.05~10wt%, or 0.02~7wt%, or 0.05~7wt%, or 1.05~7wt%. In some embodiments, the surfactant accounts for 0.05wt%, or 0.5wt%, or 1wt%, or 1.05wt%, or 5wt%, or 5.05wt%, or 20wt% of the swelling agent. When the content of surfactant in swelling agent is lower, the use of swelling agent will have less negative impact on the ecological environment. However, this disclosure is not limited to Here it is.

In embodiments, swelling agent 454 includes a solvent. Solvents include water. In embodiments, the solvent may not contain strong acids, strong bases, or organic solvents. Therefore, swelling agent 454 is an environmentally friendly solution.

The soaking time can be 5~60 minutes. But the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In embodiments, the swelling agent 454 may be heated. The heating temperature (that is, the soaking temperature) of the swelling agent 454 is lower than the boiling point of the solvent. For example, the temperature of the swelling agent 454 may be 40°C to 90°C, which is 100°C below the boiling point of water. Appropriate heating temperature can accelerate the reaction speed between the swelling agent and the packaging material and improve the stripping effect. However, when the heating temperature is too low, the swelling agent cannot fully react with the packaging material, reducing the stripping efficiency; if the heating temperature is too high, a large amount of swelling agent will evaporate, causing unnecessary losses.

The plate structure 202 may be subjected to a separation step. The separation step is to separate the substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206 by applying an external force to the board structure 202 . External forces exerted on the plate structure 202 may include shear forces, normal forces, etc. In one embodiment, the stirring device in the first tank 352 can be used to stir the plate structure 202 so that the substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206 are separated from each other. For example, the stirring speed of the stirring device can be 800~1000rpm. Stirring time can range from 5 minutes to 60 minutes. But the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, ultrasonic vibration can be used to perform the separation step.

The separated substrate 104 and packaging material layer 206 can be transferred to the cleaning tank 356 for the cleaning step. The detergent 458 used in the cleaning step may include water. In embodiments, the lotion 458 may not contain strong acid, strong alkali, or organic solvent. Therefore, Lotion 458 is an environmentally friendly and green solution.

In embodiments, the swelling agent 454 may be provided from the second tank 362 to the first tank 352 via the pipeline 360 .

The surfactant of the swelling agent 454 in the first tank 352 may be reduced in concentration after being absorbed by the plate structure 102 through the soaking step.

In an embodiment, the swelling agent 454A whose surfactant concentration is reduced after the soaking step can be sent to the concentration/purification device 364 through the pipeline 366, and the concentration or purification step is performed by the concentration/purification device 364 to obtain a surfactant with an increased concentration. Swelling agent 454, and separates components in the swelling agent 454 that can be used as lotion 458, such as water. The swelling agent 454 can be recovered to the second tank 362 through the line 368 and reused in the soaking step. Detergent 458, such as water, can be recycled to the cleaning tank 356 via line 370 and reused in the cleaning step.

The sorting device 372 can be used to perform the sorting step on the substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206 . In one embodiment, screening may be used to sort the packaging material layer 206 and the substrate 104 that have significant differences in size. The substrate 104 will pass through the mesh holes on the screen surface of the fixture, and the packaging material layer 206 will remain on the screen surface, thereby sorting the substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206 . But the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, specific gravity may be used to perform the sorting step.

The drying device 374 can be used to dry the sorted substrate 104 and the packaging material layer 206 .

Table 1 lists the dimensions of the plate structure in Examples 1 to 9. size, swelling agent surfactant, soaking temperature, soaking time, stirring speed, stirring time and substrate stripping rate. The content of surfactant represents the weight percentage of swelling agent. The stripping rate is calculated as the ratio of the substrate 104 obtained by the sorting device to the substrate 104 in the plate structure 102 entering the conveying element 350 multiplied by 100%.

According to the above processing method, the packaging material layer and substrate can be recycled, For example, the glass backplane of solar photovoltaic modules. In the embodiment, the amount of residual glue on the recycled substrate is low, so the recycling quality is high. The recycling method is simple, uncomplicated, and environmentally friendly, making it suitable for mass production.

In summary, although the present invention has been disclosed above through embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the appended patent application scope.

102,202: Plate structure

104:Substrate

106,206: Encapsulation material layer

350:Transmission element

352:First tank

356, 366, 368, 370: Cleaning tank

360:Pipeline

362:Second tank

364:Concentration/purification device

372: Sorting device

374:Drying device

454,454A: Swelling agent

458:Lotion

Claims (8)

A swelling agent, including: a surfactant, which is composed of an anionic surfactant and a silicon-containing surfactant; and a solvent, including water, wherein the surfactant accounts for 1.05~7wt% of the swelling agent, and the anionic surfactant The agent contains sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, and the silicon surfactant includes n-dodecyltriethoxysilane, phenyldecyltriethoxysilane, stearyloxytrimethylsilane, methyl Tris(trimethylsilyloxy)silane, phenyltris(trimethylsilyloxy)silane, vinyldiethoxymethylsilane, hexyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, or The above combination, wherein the anionic surfactant accounts for 1~5wt% of the swelling agent. The swelling agent of claim 1, wherein the anionic surfactant further includes sodium 4-n-octylbenzene sulfonate, sodium decylbenzene sulfonate, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, and 1-octyl sulfate. Sodium, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium tetradecyl sulfate, sodium cetyl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfonate, sodium tetradecyl sulfonate, sodium cetyl sulfonate, or any of the above combination. A recycling method of a board structure, wherein the board structure has a substrate and a packaging material layer on the substrate. The recycling method includes: a soaking step, which soaks the board structure in one of claims 1 to 2. In the swelling agent described in 1; and A separation step is to separate the substrate and the packaging material layer by applying an external force to the board structure. The recycling method of a board structure as described in claim 3, wherein the substrate includes silicone-containing glass, the encapsulating material layer includes a thermosetting resin and an adhesion promoter, and the thermosetting resin includes ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. (EVA), the adhesion promoter includes silane. The method for recycling the plate structure as described in claim 3 further includes heating the swelling agent, and the heating temperature of the swelling agent is lower than the boiling point of the solvent. The method for recycling a plate structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the separation step includes stirring the plate structure. As claimed in claim 3, the recycling method of the plate structure further includes a concentration or purification step, which concentrates or purifies the swelling agent after the soaking step. The recycling method of the plate structure as described in claim 7, wherein the soaking step is to soak the plate structure in the swelling agent in a first tank, and the concentration or purification step separates water from the swelling agent. The recycling method It further includes: providing the swelling agent from a second tank to the first tank; recovering the swelling agent that has gone through the concentration or purification step into the second tank; and using the separated water to clean the process. The substrate and the packaging material layer in the separation step.

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