Material Recovery from End-of-Life Wind and Photovoltaic Systems: Linking Circular Economy and Mineral Processing Methods in Post-Mining Areas Under Energy Transition

Abstract

The increasing deployment of renewable energy systems is expected to generate significant volumes of end-of-life wind turbine and photovoltaic waste in the coming decades, creating new challenges for material recovery and waste management. This study examines the material composition of wind and photovoltaic systems and evaluates the applicability of mineral processing methods for recovering valuable and critical raw materials. The analysis shows that wind turbines contain high shares of recyclable ferrous materials (80–94% of total mass), copper, and rare earth elements, while photovoltaic systems represent important secondary sources of glass, aluminum, silicon, silver, and thin-film critical metals. The findings indicate that integrated processing routes combining comminution, physical separation, and hydrometallurgical treatment can achieve high recovery efficiencies, particularly for bulk metals and selected high-value elements. The study also demonstrates that post-mining regions possess significant advantages for hosting renewable waste recovery activities due to existing infrastructure, industrial land availability, and a technically skilled workforce. Finally, it concludes that integrating circular economy principles with mineral processing expertise can support both critical raw material recovery and sustainable regional transition in post-mining areas.