Background The major environmental risks associated with photovoltaic panels, if not properly disposed of at the end of their life, are pollution by heavy metals (lead and cadmium), loss of conventional resources (aluminium, glass and silicon), and the loss of rare and precious metals (silver, indium, gallium and germanium). Current volumes of photovoltaic waste are low. However, first generation solar panels are expected by 2020 to be producing huge amounts of waste at the end of their productive lives. By 2050, it has been estimated that about 10 million tonnes of end-of-life solar panels will have to be treated and appropriately disposed of in Europe. The European Commission included end-of-life photovoltaic panels in the WEEE Directive, which promotes the development of innovative processes for the recovery of secondary raw materials such as glass, plastics and metals. The recycling sector must now respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by this relatively new waste stream. Objectives The PHOTOLIFE project aims to reduce the overall environmental impact of photovoltaic (PV) modules across their lifecycle by constructing a pilot treatment plant for end-of-life PV panels. Using relatively simple and mild physical and chemical operations, it aims to achieve a wide level of recycling and recovery of valuable raw materials in line with the WEEE Directive. This innovative process, moreover, will enable the simultaneous automated treatment of the major types of PV cells, including monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). It will adopt a hydrometallurgical approach, employing physical operations, such as crushing, to avoid energy consumption. It will also carry out chemical operations using aqueous/organic solution to avoid the combustion processes and pyrolysis, which are commonly employed for the detachment of the ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulant. The project expects to recover a significant amount of valuable raw materials – namely, the different metals contained within the PV cells as well as any metal frames, glass, plastics and electronic equipment used in the PV systems. It will characterise the different outputs of the recycling process, determine the overall economic feasibility of the pilot plant (including valorisation of the recovered materials) and put in place short and long-term management strategies for implementing the system. Expected results: Demonstration of a pilot treatment plant for end-of-life photovoltaics with a potential capacity of 200 tonnes/year of panels; Treatment during the project of about 1 tonne of panels of the main types; Full recovery of metals and metal concentrates (Zn, Al, Ag, Ti, Si, Te and Cd) as secondary raw materials – about 10-20% of the mass of treated panels; Full recovery of any aluminium frames – about 200 kg of aluminium recovered from each panel that has a frame; Full recovery of printed circuit boards and other electric equipment; Production of metal concentrates from Si panels and from CdTe panels (at least 0.5-1 Kg samples for each concentrate); Optimised conditions for the treatment of wastewater (about 2 000 litres of wastewaters treated for each kind of panel); Recovered glass (about 800 kg for each type of treated panels) and 200 kg of fine fraction treated by hydrometallurgical operation on a laboratory scale giving at least 0.5-2 kg of concentrated samples of the recoverable metals (Se, In, Cu, and Ga); Reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions throughout the lifecycle; Proven technical and economic viability of the recycling technology to address the challenge of end-of-life PV panels; Reduction in the consumption of primary materials by replacing them with recycled secondary raw materials; and Demonstration of the use of the technology for similar wastes such as liquid crystal displays.