The startup operates a research and development center focused on the recovery of strategic metals from e-waste through process optimization and prototype development. By designing and constructing specialized treatment plants, the company enables recycling businesses to enhance material recovery rates and achieve higher purity levels.
Funding
$370K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
The increasing volume of end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) panels poses a significant environmental challenge, as conventional recycling methods recover only a fraction of the valuable materials, leading to resource wastage and potential landfill accumulation. Current mechanical treatment processes often result in low material purity and fail to extract high-value components like silicon and silver economically.
Solution
9-Tech provides comprehensive solutions for upcycling end-of-life PV panels, maximizing the recovery of valuable materials through advanced process optimization and specialized plant design. Their proprietary thermo-mechanical treatment process recovers over 95% of raw materials, including high-purity silicon, silver, aluminum, and glass, surpassing traditional recycling methods in efficiency and economic value. The technology incorporates controlled combustion of EVA encapsulant with heat recovery, ensuring energy autonomy and eliminating the need for mechanical grinding. 9-Tech's solutions are designed for versatility, capable of handling broken panels and automatically sorting PV waste streams, while avoiding the creation of hazardous waste.
Target Audience
9-Tech's primary customers include recycling businesses, waste management companies, and organizations involved in the decommissioning and processing of end-of-life PV panels, as well as those seeking to recover valuable materials from electronic waste.
Features
- Patented thermo-mechanical treatment process for efficient material separation and recovery
- Automated panel recognition and disassembly for streamlined processing
- Optimized furnace and mechanical treatment for copper, glass, and photovoltaic cell recovery
- Ultrasound treatment for high-purity silver extraction from photovoltaic cells
- Pilot plant with a processing capacity of 30 kg/h
- Industrial-scale plant design with a processing capacity of 4,750 tons/year
- Capability to recover 700 tons of aluminum, 3,000 tons of glass, 33 tons of copper strips, 120 tons of silicon, and 1.4 tons of silver annually
- Research and development focused on rare earth recovery from smartphone screens and other e-waste streams