The shift to renewable energy sources is essential for achieving global sustainability and reducing carbon emissions. Solar energy, alongside wind power, plays a central role in this transition, with annual photovoltaic production projected to exceed 1 terawatt peak (TWP) by 2025. However, the exponential growth in solar panel deployment brings critical challenges regarding end-of-life management. Sustainable recycling strategies are urgently needed to minimize environmental impact and ensure the efficient recovery of valuable materials. Embracing a circular recycling model not only mitigates the risks of landfilling but also supports resource conservation and the long-term sustainability of solar technologies.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), a next-generation photovoltaic technology, offer tremendous potential due to their high efficiency, low material costs, and scalability. Yet, the sustainability of PSCs depends on overcoming significant recycling and environmental hurdles, particularly the safe recovery and reuse of lead halides. Our research addresses these challenges by focusing on the circular recovery of materials, developing scalable processes that minimize waste and enable the reintegration of critical resources into the production cycle.

In the context of closed-loop recycling, we demonstrated a novel solvent-based layer-by-layer extraction process that enables the recovery of MAPbI₃ perovskite solar cells with a 99.97% mass recovery rate. Essential components such as ITO glass, SnO₂, MAPbI₃, and spiro-OMeTAD were successfully purified and reused. Solar devices fabricated using recycled materials retained performance comparable to those produced with virgin components, achieving efficiencies of 19%. A techno-economic analysis revealed that adopting this recycling strategy could reduce material costs by 63.7% at the laboratory scale, highlighting its cost-effectiveness and potential for broader adoption.

To address the environmental concerns associated with lead waste, we developed an innovative recycling process to convert contaminated lead into high-purity lead iodide (PbI₂). This method achieves near-complete conversion with a Faradaic efficiency close to unity. Single-crystal growth purification resulted in PbI₂ of 35% purity, with residual materials fed back into the recycling loop. The process demonstrated a scalable output of approximately 1g per hour, with clear pathways for industrial upscaling. Fabricating perovskite solar cells from the recovered PbI₂ resulted in efficiencies exceeding 20%, confirming the viability of repurposing lead waste for sustainable photovoltaic production.

By transforming legacy lead waste from industrial and household sources into high-value materials for new solar cells, our work provides a scalable and environmentally responsible solution to lead recycling. This approach not only eliminates ecological hazards but also advances a circular economy, where resource efficiency and waste minimization drive the sustainability of perovskite solar technologies.