Patents
US 12686154 B2: Method for recycling end-of-life solar panels
- Granted
- 2026-07-21
- Filed
- 2024-05-21 application 18669897
- Type
- Utility · 18 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
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.
Source: PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 (ipgb20260721.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky Research Foundation 446 patents | US company or organization | Lexington, KY | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION Nonprofit EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state | PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John G. Groppo | Nicholasville, KY | PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 | ||
| Zebulon Hart | Owingsville, KY | PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 | ||
| Lucas Bertucci | Louisville, KY | PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| B29B | Preparation or pretreatment of the material to be shaped; making granules or preforms; recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics | B29B17/02 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 |
| B29K | Indexing scheme associated with subclasses b29b, b29c or b29d, relating to moulding materials or to materials for ; moulds, ; reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts | B29K2105/26 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 |
| B29L | Indexing scheme associated with subclass b29c, relating to particular articles | B29L2031/3406 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-07-21 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-21 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | GROPPO, JOHN G. signed 2023-05-30 HART, ZEBULON signed 2023-08-22 BERTUCCI, LUCAS signed 2023-08-22 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION LEXINGTON, KY | 67479/62 | PASDL, file of 2026-08-13 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.