Recovery of silicon, silver and copper from end-of-life photovoltaic modules and PV recycling fractions
Circular Silicon Europe GmbH
BraunschweigNew on Amplifa
About Circular Silicon
Circular Silicon Europe GmbH is a cleantech company based in Braunschweig that develops and industrially implements recycling solutions for silicon-containing residual streams from photovoltaics. The company purchases PV recycling fractions – whole or pre-treated laminates, shredded flakes, granulates as well as powders and process dusts – and recovers silicon, silver and copper from them. The process chain includes delamination, separation and processing of the material streams, whereby different feed formats, contamination profiles and material qualities can be handled. Since December 2025, the first industrial processing line for PV laminates and flakes has been in operation; industrial field tests ensure the output quality of the recovered materials. In addition to processing, Circular Silicon offers process development, industrial scale-up and the assessment of hard-to-classify material streams and process residues. The company works with recycling operations and partners along the entire PV value chain and is active in research projects on silicon and silver recovery.
- Site
- Braunschweig
- Processes
- Silicon recovery from PV recycling streams, Recovery of silver and copper from end-of-life solar materials, Laminate processing (whole or pre-treated PV laminates), Processing of flakes (shredded laminate fractions), Processing of granulates (mixed to silicon-rich), Processing of powders, fine fractions and process dusts, Separation of silicon and silver from silicon-rich powders, Delamination of PV modules
- Materials
- Silicon (from PV modules), Silver, Copper, PV laminates (with/without glass residues), Glass (PV glass residues), Polymers (PV laminate polymers), Silicon-rich powders & granulates, PV Laminates
- Founded
- 2023
- Industries
- PV recycling / solar modules, Cleantech, Raw material recovery (silicon, silver, copper)
- 01
Purchase and assessment of silicon-containing PV recycling fractions
- 02
Delamination of PV modules
- 03
Separation and shredding into flakes or granulates
- 04
Processing of powders and fine fractions
- 05
Recovery of silicon, silver and copper
- 06
Quality assurance of the output materials
Materials and Processes
PV Laminates
Whole or partially pre-treated laminates with or without adhering glass residues from dismantling and pre-recycling.
PV Flakes
Shredded laminate fractions ranging from glass-containing to clean polymer-silicon material.
Silicon-Containing Granulates
Mixed to silicon-rich granulates from upstream recycling and processing stages.
Powders & Fine Fractions
Fine silicon-based powders and process dusts with varying glass, polymer and inorganic contents.
Silicon
Target material recovered from end-of-life PV modules, also with a lower CO₂ footprint.
Silver
Recovered from metal-containing fractions and silicon-rich powders.
Copper
Recovered from end-of-life solar materials together with silicon and silver.
PV Glass Residues
Glass-containing portions from laminates, flakes and granulates as an accompanying fraction of processing.
Polymers (PV Laminate)
Polymer components of the laminate composites that arise as a fraction during delamination and shredding.
Locations
Braunschweig
DESite / Contact and Processing
- Lot size
- Single batches up to regular material streams
- Materials
- PV laminates, flakes, granulates, powders & fine fractions
- Separation and delamination systems
- Industrial processing line for PV laminates and flakes (2025)
Material Fractions
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon recovery from PV recycling streamsRecycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | Silicon (silicon-containing PV fractions) |
| Recovery of silver and copper from end-of-life solar materialsRecycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | Silver, Copper |
| Laminate processing (whole or pre-treated PV laminates)Recycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | PV laminates, Glass, Polymers, Silicon |
| Processing of flakes (shredded laminate fractions)Recycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | PV laminates (glass-containing to polymer-silicon-containing |
| Processing of granulates (mixed to silicon-rich)Recycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | Silicon-containing granulates, Glass, Organic contaminants |
| Processing of powders, fine fractions and process dustsRecycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | Silicon-based powders, Glass, Polymers, Inorganic contaminants |
| Separation of silicon and silver from silicon-rich powdersRecycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | Silicon, Silver |
| Delamination of PV modulesRecycling/Material recovery | – | – | – | – | PV laminates |
| Material assessment of special batches and process residues (hard-to-classify fractions)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Silicon-containing PV fractions, Metal-containing fractions (silver, copper), Glass & polymer mixtures |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial processing line for PV laminates and flakes (silicon, silver and | – | 1 | – | 2025 | Germany |
| Separation and delamination systems (first small-scale production line) | – | 1 | – | 2024 | Germany |
Additional services
History
- 2021/22
Start of the JPM Silicon research project for the development of fundamental processes for silicon recovery from end-of-life PV modules
- 2023
March 2023: Funding by EIT RawMaterials for building the infrastructure; founding of the GmbH
- 2023
September 2023: Further funding by PSD Bank
- 2024
May 2024: Set-up of the first production line at smaller scale with separation and delamination systems
- 2025
June 2025: Approval of the LIFE SiRCULAR project for the recovery of high-purity silicon and silver in an integrated process
- 2025
December 2025: Commissioning of the first industrial processing line for PV laminates and flakes for the recovery of silicon, silver and copper