Who Are We
Si-ZERO is a global sustainability initiative led by Swinburne University of Technology, bringing together partners across Australia, India, Indonesia, and the United States to advance a circular and low-carbon future for silicon production and materials recovery from solar-panel. By integrating innovative recycling, processing, and clean-technology solutions, we transform end-of-life solar panels into valuable resources, supporting a sustainable and resilient renewable-energy supply chain. Our mission is to foster collaboration between research, industry and government to accelerate circularity and build a sustainable, future-ready solar ecosystem
What We Do
Mechanical and Heat Pre-Treatments of Solar PV Panel
Partnership: SUT (Australia), Remind (Indonesia), UGM (Indonesia), BRIN (Indonesia) We develop efficient pre-treatment processes that mechanically and thermally separate solar PV components for high-value material recovery. By improving delamination, glass liberation, and EVA removal, this program lays the foundation for scalable end-of-life PV recycling solutions
Slag Optimisation & Distribution Measurement
Partnership: SUT (Australia), IIT Hyderabad (India) We engineer high-performance slag systems through advanced modelling and property measurement to support cleaner and more efficient silicon refining. This program provides the thermodynamic insights and slag behaviour data required for next-generation electro-slag and molten-oxide refining technologies.
Blue Laser Melting & Hydrometallurgical Processing for Ag Recovery
Partnership: SUT (Australia), UGM (Indonesia), BRIN (Indonesia) We advance selective blue-laser melting technologies to cleanly detach metallic layers from PV cells, enabling high-purity silver extraction. Combined with targeted hydrometallurgical processing, this process unlocks efficient recovery of critical metals from waste PV modules.
Zero-Carbon Silicon Electrochemical Production & Refining
Partnership: SUT (Australia), Sadoway Labs Foundation (USA), IIT Hyderabad (India), Greenko (India) We advance new pathways for producing and refining silicon with a significantly lower environmental footprint. This program brings together innovative electrical and slag-based refining approaches to create cleaner, more efficient alternatives to conventional silicon manufacturing.
