Scientists in Germany turn old lead bullets into solar panel material, achieving a 21% yield and making way for green energy.
The need to accelerate energy transition leads the scientific community to original solutions, even from sources previously considered useless. A typical example is research in Germany, where 17th and 18th century old lead bullets are revalued for the production of materials used in solar energy.
The study, carried out by scientists from Jülich Research Center and Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, shows that these historical ammunition can be converted into pervskite, a critical material for the construction of modern solar cells.
The approach is based on lead recycling, an element that, although toxic and energetic in its extraction and processing, remains a key component for the development of efficient photovoltaics. Researchers took advantage of the very impurities of the old spheres—carbon residue and oxidation marks—as an advantage for their chemical conversion.
The process initially included melting the spheres and converting them into electrodes. Subsequently, by electrochemical treatment in a special solution, high purity lead iodide was produced, a basic raw material for the pervskite solar panels. This material created crystals with the method of reverse temperature crystallization.
The result was impressive: produced photovoltaics achieved a return of 21%, a rate considered particularly competitive in the industry. The research, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, highlights the possibility of converting toxic waste into valuable energy resources.
As scientists point out, this method could help reduce environmental impacts from lead reserves, which amount to millions of tonnes worldwide, while opening the way for more sustainable and circular energy solutions.
