This file contains an HSC model for cadmium and tellurium refining starting from by-products coming from a copper precious metals refinery, lead and zinc flowsheets, manufacturing of a CdTe photovoltaic module and its recycling process based on data found in literature. The model was used to perform a resource efficiency, including exergy, and environmental impact (LCA) evaluation of the life cycle of a CdTe photovoltaic module. This model was used in the Master’s thesis “Simulation-based assessment of resource efficiency and environmental impacts of a CdTe photovoltaic life cycle” by Magdalena Heibeck and for the publications “The simulation-based analysis of the circular economy – the enabling role of metallurgical infrastructure” published in the “Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy” journal on 08/11/2019 (https://doi.org/10.1080/25726641.2019.1685243) and “Simulation-based Exergy Analysis of Large Circular Economy Systems: Zinc Production Coupled to CdTe Photovoltaic Module Life Cycle” published in the “Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy” on 17/12/2019 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-019-00255-5).

Detailed information about the literature sources used for developing the model can be found in the references above.

The model can only be opened with HSC software and was made with HSC version 10.0.0.5 (https://www.outotec.com/HSC).

{"references": ["Heibeck M (2019), Simulation-based assessment of resource efficiency and environmental impacts of a CdTe photovoltaic life cycle, University of Applied Sciences Kiel.", "Bartie N J, Abad\u00edas Llamas A, Heibeck M, Fr\u00f6hling M, Volkova O, et al., (2019), The simulation-based analysis of the resource efficiency of the circular economy \u2013 the enabling role of metallurgical infrastructure, Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy, Transactions of the Institutions of Mining and Metallurgy, 129(2):229\u2013249. https://doi.org/10.1080/25726641.2019.1685243", "Abad\u00edas Llamas A, Bartie N J, Heibeck M, Stelter M, Reuter M A, (2020), Simulation-Based Exergy Analysis of Large Circular Economy Systems: Zinc Production Coupled to CdTe Photovoltaic Module Life Cycle, Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, 6(1):34\u201367. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-019-00255-5", "Bartie, N.J., Abad\u00edas Llamas, A., Heibeck, M., Reuter, M.A., (2019). Metal Interactions and Symbioses: Optimization of Quality, Quantity and Sustainability. 5th International Conference on Final Sinks, 8-11 December 2019, Vienna, Austria", "Bartie, N.J., Reuter, M.A. (2020). The Link Between Photovoltaics, Sustainability, and the Metals Industry. Proceedings of IMPC 2020: XXX International Mineral Processing Congress, Cape Town, South Africa, 18-22 October 2020"]}