Electrodynamic Eddy Current Separation of End-of-Life PV Materials

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Postdoctoral Research Awards support EERE's mission in energy efficiency and renewable energy by offering recent Ph.D. recipients the opportunity to conduct applied research at universities, national laboratories, and other research facilities.

This year only five awards were given nationally under the SunShot Initiative. York Smith, Post Doctoral Researcher at the University of Utah Metallurgical Engineering Department, received an award for his research focused on applying electrodynamic eddy current separation techniques to the recycling processing of end-of-life solar panel materials. The project is with Prof. Rajamani and his team, who have developed this technology for metal and alloy scrap sorting. We also plan on examining other applications for this sorting technology such as in lithium ion battery recycling and metal recovery in electronic waste streams.

Other institutions awarded include Cal Tech, UC Berkley, Berkley Nat'l Lab, Argonne Nat'l Lab, Oak Ridge Nat'l Lab, Carnegie Mellon, among others.