The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 21, 2026
Filed:
May. 21, 2024
University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, KY (US);
John G. Groppo, Nicholasville, KY (US);
Zebulon Hart, Owingsville, KY (US);
Lucas Bertucci, Louisville, KY (US);
University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, KY (US);
Abstract
A method of recycling a solar panel includes steps of removing a frame from the solar panel, delaminating a glass cover, silicon wafers and a plastic backing of the solar panel using a green solvent adapted to weaken, rather than dissolve, an adhesive used in lamination of the solar panel thereby generating a delaminated material stream, separating glass of the glass cover from the delaminated material stream, separating the plastic backing from the delaminated material stream thereby generating a concentrated metals stream, electrostatically separating insulator materials and electrically conducting materials from the concentrated metals stream thereby creating an insulator material stream and an electrically conducting material stream and separating silicon from other metals in the electrically conducting material stream.