RECYCLED SAND CREATED FROM SOLAR PANELS TRIALLED IN NORTH EAST LINK PROJECT

With solar photovoltaic panels having an average lifespan of 25-30 years, there is increasing concern about the end-of-life management of these panels, which could lead to the accumulation of hazardous waste in the absence of regulations for recovery and recycling. 

Capitalising on this, Boral has recently trialled a new kind of sand made using crushed glass sourced from end-of-life and damaged solar panels. This recycled sand has been used to produce concrete for Victoria’s North East Link project, which will construct 6.5 kilometres of tunnels.

Solar glass sand is an environmentally sustainable replacement for traditional sand, a natural diminishing resource essential to the building and construction industry. The innovation was driven by Spark North East Link Design & Construct Joint Venture (Spark), a consortium comprising world-leading construction companies and one of Australia’s largest road and tunnel operators, who has engaged Boral’s expertise to produce and trial concrete using the recycled sand, with the University of Melbourne carrying out development and testing.

Glass for the recycled sand was sourced from ElecSome, an Australian solar panel upcycling plant that collects end-of-life or damaged solar panels. The glass was crushed and processed at their recycling facility, then blended with up to 50 per cent natural sand.

Several concrete mixes were prepared using solar glass sand and test loads of concrete were transported to the project site and a trial concrete slab was laid. Tests were carried out to assess plastic properties including consistency and finishing, and hardened property testing was done for compliance with relevant standards. Results so far have been excellent.

Dr Ali Nezhad, head of sustainability and innovation at Boral, says: “The success of this sustainable concrete mix in a commercial project provides an effective pathway for recycling of end-of-life solar panels and contributes further to sustainability of the construction and building industry. Our solar glass sand concrete trial demonstrates the ability and strength of reusing materials to create a circular economy.”