ACS Publications. Most Trusted. Most Cited. Most Read

OR SEARCH CITATIONS

My Activity
Publications
CONTENT TYPES

Figure 1Loading Img
Download Hi-Res ImageDownload to MS-PowerPointCite This:Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, 51, 8, 4722-4732
RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXT

Environmental Impacts from Photovoltaic Solar Cells Made with Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes

View Author Information
† School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toledo 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, Ohio 43606, United States
‡ School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy, Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, Ohio 43606, United States
*(I.C.) Phone: (419) 530-8120; e-mail: [email protected]
*(B.E.M.) Phone: (419) 530-8120; e-mail: [email protected]
Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, 51, 8, 4722–4732
Publication Date (Web):February 24, 2017
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b06272
Copyright © 2017 American Chemical Society
Request reuse permissions

    Article Views

    1107

    Altmetric

    -

    Citations

    33
    LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICS
    Read OnlinePDF (2 MB)
    Get e-Alerts
    Supporting Info (1)»
    SUBJECTS:

    Abstract

    Abstract Image

    An ex-ante life cycle inventory was developed for single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) PV cells, including a laboratory-made 1% efficient device and an aspirational 28% efficient four-cell tandem device. The environmental impact of unit energy generation from the mono-Si PV technology was used as a reference point. Compared to monocrystalline Si (mono-Si), the environmental impacts from 1% SWCNT was ∼18 times higher due mainly to the short lifetime of three years. However, even with the same short lifetime, the 28% cell had lower environmental impacts than mono-Si. The effects of lifetime and efficiency on the environmental impacts were further examined. This analysis showed that if the SWCNT device efficiency had the same value as the best efficiency of the material under comparison, to match the total normalized impacts of the mono- and poly-Si, CIGS, CdTe, and a-Si devices, the SWCNT devices would need a lifetime of 2.8, 3.5, 5.3, 5.1, and 10.8 years, respectively. It was also found that if the SWCNT PV has an efficiency of 4.5% or higher, its energy payback time would be lower than other existing and emerging PV technologies. The major impacts of SWCNT PV came from the cell’s materials synthesis.

    Supporting Information

    ARTICLE SECTIONS
    Jump To

    The Supporting Information is available free of charge on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b06272.

    • The detailed analyses regarding the environmental impacts and energy intensity of separation of SWCNT material and SWCNT PV cells (PDF)

    Terms & Conditions

    Most electronic Supporting Information files are available without a subscription to ACS Web Editions. Such files may be downloaded by article for research use (if there is a public use license linked to the relevant article, that license may permit other uses). Permission may be obtained from ACS for other uses through requests via the RightsLink permission system: http://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/permissions.html.

    Cited By

    This article is cited by 33 publications.

    1. José Luis Aleixandre-Tudó, Máxima Bolaños-Pizarro, José Luis Aleixandre, Rafael Aleixandre-Benavent. Worldwide Scientific Research on Nanotechnology: A Bibliometric Analysis of Tendencies, Funding, and Challenges. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2020, 68 (34) , 9158-9170. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.0c02141
    2. Chrysanthos Maraveas, Marianna I. Kotzabasaki, Ilker S. Bayer, Thomas Bartzanas. Sustainable Greenhouse Covering Materials with Nano- and Micro-Particle Additives for Enhanced Radiometric and Thermal Properties and Performance. AgriEngineering 2023, 5 (3) , 1347-1377. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering5030085
    3. Megan Belongeay, Gabriela Shirkey, Marina Monteiro Lunardi, Gonzalo Rodriguez-Garcia, Parikhit Sinha, Richard Corkish, Rodney A. Stewart, Annick Anctil, Jiquan Chen, Ilke Celik. Photovoltaic Systems through the Lens of Material-Energy-Water Nexus. Energies 2023, 16 (7) , 3174. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16073174
    4. Abidur Rahman, Omar Farrok, Md Mejbaul Haque. Environmental impact of renewable energy source based electrical power plants: Solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal, tidal, ocean, and osmotic. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2022, 161 , 112279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112279
    5. Sónia Fernandes, Joaquim C. G. Esteves da Silva, Luís Pinto da Silva. Life Cycle Assessment-Based Comparative Study between High-Yield and “Standard” Bottom-Up Procedures for the Fabrication of Carbon Dots. Materials 2022, 15 (10) , 3446. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15103446
    6. Kurt M. Van Allsburg, Eric C. D. Tan, John D. Super, Joshua A. Schaidle, Frederick G. Baddour. Early-stage evaluation of catalyst manufacturing cost and environmental impact using CatCost. Nature Catalysis 2022, 5 (4) , 342-353. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-022-00759-6
    7. Sakshi Sharma, Vinod Singh. Carbon Nanotubes in Emerging Photovoltaics: Progress and Limitations. IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics 2022, 12 (1) , 167-178. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2021.3113317
    8. Emily M. Ott, Cody A. Kabus, Benjamin D. Baxter, Brooke Hannon, Ilke Celik. Environmental Analysis of Agrivoltaic Systems. 2022, 127-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819727-1.00012-1
    9. Juan Carlos Valdelamar-Villegas, Julio Roman Maza-Villegas. Environmental and Ecotoxicological Impact of Alternative Energies: An Improvement Opportunity for Latin America. 2022, 109-120. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97862-4_8
    10. Kartik Rathi, Bhavesh Vyas, Puja Acharya, Jayesh Vyas, Anil Dixit. Solar panels salvaging for safety & sustainability. Materials Today: Proceedings 2022, 69 , 519-523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.09.259
    11. A. M. Vorobei, Ya. I. Zuev, A. A. Dyshin, O. O. Parenago, M. G. Kiselev. Dispersion of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes via Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Suspensions. Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2021, 15 (8) , 1314-1319. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1990793121080169
    12. Chrysanthos Maraveas, Dimitrios Loukatos, Thomas Bartzanas, Konstantinos G. Arvanitis, Johannes Franciscus (Arjan) Uijterwaal. Smart and Solar Greenhouse Covers: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives. Frontiers in Energy Research 2021, 9 https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2021.783587
    13. Jia-Xin Li, Rou-Lan Zhang, Zi-Jian Pan, Yan Liao, Chao-Bin Xiong, Ming-Li Chen, Rong Huang, Xiao-Hong Pan, Zhi Chen. Preparation of CdS@C Photocatalyst Using Phytoaccumulation Cd Recycled From Contaminated Wastewater. Frontiers in Chemistry 2021, 9 https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.717210
    14. Xinhai Xu, Dengguo Lai, Gang Wang, Yin Wang. Nondestructive silicon wafer recovery by a novel method of solvothermal swelling coupled with thermal decomposition. Chemical Engineering Journal 2021, 418 , 129457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.129457
    15. Sónia Fernandes, Joaquim C.G. Esteves da Silva, Luís Pinto da Silva. Comparative life cycle assessment of high-yield synthesis routes for carbon dots. NanoImpact 2021, 23 , 100332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.impact.2021.100332
    16. Rickard Arvidsson, Sanna Wickerts, Anders Nordelöf. Comment on “Comparative life cycle assessment of high performance lithium-sulfur battery cathodes”. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 300 , 126999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126999
    17. Sila Temizel-Sekeryan, Fan Wu, Andrea L. Hicks. Global scale life cycle environmental impacts of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotube synthesis processes. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2021, 26 (4) , 656-672. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-020-01862-1
    18. Matteo Cossutta, Jon McKechnie. Environmental Impacts and Safety Concerns of Carbon Nanomaterials. 2021, 249-278. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7610-2_11
    19. Ramez Hosseinian Ahangharnejhad, Willis Becker, Jayson Jones, Annick Anctil, Zhaoning Song, Adam Phillips, Michael J. Heben, Ilke Celik. Environmental Impact per Energy Yield for Bifacial Perovskite Solar Cells Outperforms Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells. Cell Reports Physical Science 2020, 1 (10) , 100216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100216
    20. Georgios Pallas, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Jeroen Guinée. Ex ante life cycle assessment of GaAs/Si nanowire–based tandem solar cells: a benchmark for industrialization. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2020, 25 (9) , 1767-1782. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-020-01791-z
    21. Thomas Maani, Ilke Celik, Michael J. Heben, Randall J. Ellingson, Defne Apul. Environmental impacts of recycling crystalline silicon (c-SI) and cadmium telluride (CDTE) solar panels. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 735 , 138827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138827
    22. Ilke Celik, Marina Lunardi, Austen Frederickson, Richard Corkish. Sustainable End of Life Management of Crystalline Silicon and Thin Film Solar Photovoltaic Waste: The Impact of Transportation. Applied Sciences 2020, 10 (16) , 5465. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10165465
    23. Ilke Celik, Ramez Hosseinian Ahangharnejhad, Zhaoning Song, Michael Heben, Defne Apul. Emerging Photovoltaic (PV) Materials for a Low Carbon Economy. Energies 2020, 13 (16) , 4131. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13164131
    24. Elizabeth Markert, Ilke Celik, Defne Apul. Private and Externality Costs and Benefits of Recycling Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) Photovoltaic Panels. Energies 2020, 13 (14) , 3650. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13143650
    25. Baojia Qin, Mi Lin, Zhe Huang, Ruijun Qiu, Jujun Ruan, Yetao Tang, Rongliang Qiu. Preparing cedrene from ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and polyethylene terephthalate of waste solar cells. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 254 , 120065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120065
    26. Sheikh Moniruzzaman Moni, Roksana Mahmud, Karen High, Michael Carbajales‐Dale. Life cycle assessment of emerging technologies: A review. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2020, 24 (1) , 52-63. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12965
    27. Gavin M. Mudd. Metals and Elements Needed to Support Future Energy Systems. 2020, 711-726. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102886-5.00033-5
    28. Meng Jiang, Yun Qi, Huan Liu, Yinguang Chen. The Role of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies in Wastewater Treatment: a Bibliometric Analysis. Nanoscale Research Letters 2018, 13 (1) https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-018-2649-4
    29. Aakash Bhat, Bhanu Dhamaniya, Priyanka Chhillar, Tulja Korukonda, Gaurav Rawat, Sandeep Pathak. Analysing the Prospects of Perovskite Solar Cells within the Purview of Recent Scientific Advancements. Crystals 2018, 8 (6) , 242. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst8060242
    30. Ilke Celik, Zhaoning Song, Adam B. Phillips, Michael J. Heben, Defne Apul. Life cycle analysis of metals in emerging photovoltaic (PV) technologies: A modeling approach to estimate use phase leaching. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 186 , 632-639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.063
    31. Ilke Celik, Adam B. Philips, Zhaoning Song, Yanfa Yan, Randy J. Ellingson, Michael J. Heben, Defne Apul. Energy Payback Time (EPBT) and Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI) of Perovskite Tandem Photovoltaic Solar Cells. IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics 2018, 8 (1) , 305-309. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2017.2768961
    32. Ilke Celik, Adam B. Phillips, Zhaoning Song, Yanfa Yan, Randy J. Ellingson, Michael J. Heben, Defne Apul. Environmental analysis of perovskites and other relevant solar cell technologies in a tandem configuration. Energy & Environmental Science 2017, 10 (9) , 1874-1884. https://doi.org/10.1039/C7EE01650F
    33. LePing Yu, Tom Grace, Hong Duc Pham, Munkhbayar Batmunkh, Mahnaz Dadkhah, Cameron Shearer, Prashant Sonar, Joe Shapter. Application of Hole-Transporting Materials as the Interlayer in Graphene Oxide/Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells. Australian Journal of Chemistry 2017, 70 (11) , 1202. https://doi.org/10.1071/CH17380
    Download PDF

    Pair your accounts.

    Export articles to Mendeley

    Get article recommendations from ACS based on references in your Mendeley library.

    Pair your accounts.

    Export articles to Mendeley

    Get article recommendations from ACS based on references in your Mendeley library.

    You’ve supercharged your research process with ACS and Mendeley!

    STEP 1:
    Click to create an ACS ID

    Please note: If you switch to a different device, you may be asked to login again with only your ACS ID.

    Please note: If you switch to a different device, you may be asked to login again with only your ACS ID.

    Please note: If you switch to a different device, you may be asked to login again with only your ACS ID.

    MENDELEY PAIRING EXPIRED
    Your Mendeley pairing has expired. Please reconnect