Ouagadougou: Applicant Abdoul Aziz Ouiminga defended his doctoral thesis in Applied Sciences on Saturday at Joseph Ki Zerbo University, proposing innovative solutions for recycling used photovoltaic modules into kitchen utensils and in construction material to deal with environmental problems linked to the abandonment of waste from solar modules at the end of their life in nature. The jury judged his work innovative and current and awarded him the degree of doctor from Joseph Ki Zerbo University with very honorable mention.
‘We were able to experiment with melting aluminum from used photovoltaic modules which allowed us to manufacture kitchen utensils to the delight of households in Burkina Faso. Then, we used glass in the concrete matrix in powder form as a partial replacement for cement,’ indicated Dr Abdoul Aziz Ouiminga.
For Dr Ouiminga, the results he achieved in his studies can be used to create large factories for the use of glass as a partial replacement for cement in construction.
‘This could help
reduce the price of cement or the quantity used in construction,’ he said.
According to him, from 2010 to 2018, Burkina Faso imported more than 83 thousand tons of photovoltaic panels.
In his opinion, waste management of solar photovoltaic systems is a priority problem mainly for cities that consume large quantities of solar photovoltaic material. Because these do not have an organized solar waste management system.
-of-life photovoltaic modules are hazardous waste belonging to the category of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
They contain substances dangerous to the environment, materials that are not very biodegradable but also precious materials.
‘So this thesis contributes to the formulation of strategies at the level of Burkina Faso through technical solutions for the recovery of waste from photovoltaic modules,’ he explained.
For the president of the jury, Professor Joseph Dieudonné Bathiebo, the applicant’s work is interested in sustainable development.
In Professor Bathiebo’s opinion,
Dr Ouiminga’s thesis is not theoretical. ‘It offers concrete solutions to apply to our development needs,’ he continued.
For him, the subject addressed is ‘innovative and very interesting’ because it not only involves recovery but it also falls within the objectives of sustainable development.
‘We have certainly achieved convincing results but other work can be done in the direction of the perspectives to be developed,’ confides the thesis director, Professor Kam Sié.
For Professor Sié, the results of this work can be submitted to town halls to help them make good decisions regarding the treatment of photovoltaic waste in order to clean up the environment.
The doctoral thesis of the applicant, Abdoul Aziz Ouiminga, is entitled: ‘Valorisation of waste from solar equipment in Burkina: recycling of used photovoltaic module components’.
The jury judged his work to be innovative and up-to-date and awarded him the degree of doctor from Joseph Ki Zerbo University with very honorable mention.
Source: Burkina I
nformation Agency