Production of PV modules generates large resource flows which currently end up as waste: silicon-kerf from wafer sawing, graphite and silica from silicon ingot production. ICARUS aims at turning these wastes into a secondary raw material. Utilising the circular potential, 10 Mt of silicon, 1.2 Mt of silica and 0.6 Mt of graphite could be unlocked by 2050 as secondary raw materials. The ambition of ICARUS is to demonstrate industrial scale technologies for silicon recycling and recover more than 95% of high value material from ingots and wafers manufacturing and to scale up modular solutions to process, recycle and refine these waste products into valuable raw materials. Further ICARUS aims to secure the upstream processing of silicon to wafers to foster European growth on its downstream value chains.

ICARUS contributes to know-how on upstream silicon kerf recycling through chemical free cleaning, reduction of silicon kerf contamination through process adaption in wafer sawing. Further it provides different solutions to limit oxidation, removal of impurities and post-treatment for agglomeration of recycled silicon. Besides silicon kerf, technological solutions for the recovery of silica crucible and graphite waste are provided. Technology for revalorisation of silicon kerf through chemical transformation into full value industrial commodities, green hydrogen, silica and silicate are provided as well. Reuse potential of recovered secondary raw materials is demonstrated for silicon production, for aluminum-silicon alloys, anodes for LIB batteries, for production of SiC fines, for thermoelectric modules/generators and finally reintroducing graphite back into its production value chain. UCY team (Powder Technology Laboratory, Dept of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering) synthesizes modified thermoelectric silicides prepared by Si kerf that exhibit high efficiency. Furthermore, thermoelectric modules are developed to be included in a thermoelectric generator attached in a car exhaust for waste energy recovery designed and developed by Magneti Marelli.

ResiTec operates a pilot site in South-Norway where it collects and processes these wastes and delivers it for final applications or for further refining. ROSI scales up silicon waste treatment capacity in France to improve the quality of their granular silicon products for photovoltaic applications. In Middle Norway, Northern Silicon is setting up an industrial pilot for silicon production by substituting primary through secondary raw materials from the projects eco-system. The German LuxChemtech is designing a chemical reactor to turn silicon waste into hydrogen and silicates. ICARUS scales up technological solutions for recovery and refining of silicon kerf, graphite and silica waste products to industrial prototypes to turn it into sustainable secondary raw materials.