お知らせ • Apr 11
Bayan Mining and Minerals Limited Secures Transformative Patents in Solar Panel Recycling Technology
BAYAN Mining and Minerals Limited announced that the company has secured an exclusive license from Macquarie University for "Microwave Joule Heating Technology" a microwave-based solar panel recycling technology, positioning the company at the forefront of sustainable energy technology solutions. The Company intends to commence further research and development to assess the ability to potentially recover valuable metals such as Silver, Silicon, Gallium and Indium. The basis of the technology platform utilises microwave technology to soften the EVA encapsulant in solar panels, enabling easy delamination and potential recovery of valuable materials at room temperature. This agreement is a key milestone in Bayan's strategic growth, enabling the Company to take advantage of a major economic opportunity in the critical mineral recycling/recovery market. The Technology from Macquarie University. The team from the School of Engineering at Macquarie University, led by Dr. Binesh Puthen Veettil, have developed a new microwave technology that will solve the challenge of electronic waste from end-of-life solar panels. Currently, the recycling process is technically challenging with only an estimated 15% of solar panels making it to a recycling facility3, and the remainder going straight to landfill once they have reached their 20-25-year end of life span. In the rare instance they are recycled, the solar panels, in the traditional method, are crushed and heated at approximately 1400degC before being washed in harsh chemicals to remove the plastics. Dr. Binesh puthen Veettil's research in collaboration with the School of Photovoltaics at UNSW, the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics and further supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency highlights the immense need and impact this technology will bring. In this new method, the microwave energy is used to selectively heat the materials within a solar panel. In this process, the silicon cells and other microwave-absorbing components rapidly heat up, while surrounding materials remain relatively cool. This targeted heating causes the plastic encapsulant, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which holds the panel layers together to soften and degrade. This enables the full recovery of previously unrecovered elements, particularly silver and silicon, pushing total material recovery to over 95% by value. Importantly, the recovered material value was shown to be 3-4 times higher than that of traditional shredding. BMM will seek to further develop the proprietary microwave Joule heating technology while actively exploring its potential for application in advanced solar panel recycling. In particular, the Company will begin assessing the viability of high-yield recovery efforts targeting valuable materials such as silver, silicon, and critical metals from end-of-life modules. Hsin-Hsin Fan, Caterin Salas-Redondo, and Antoine Chalaux. 2024. As market demand continues to surge, silicon recovery from end-of-life panels represents a major opportunity for BMM to support material circularity, reduce dependency on virgin extraction, and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable supply chain. CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) solar cells. A key application for the new microwave radiation technology are CIGS based solar cells which are a high-efficiency thin-film photovoltaic solution valued for their flexibility and performance. To unlock the full value of CIGS solar panels, delamination is an essential first step. Unlike traditional crushing methods, delamination separates the panel layers-such as glass, thin-film coatings, and backsheet-without compromising the integrity of critical materials like gallium, indium, and copper. For this reason, the Company will not seek shareholder approval to enter into the IP licensing agreement.