University of Newcastle researchers have developed a method to recover high-grade silver from end-of-life solar panels without using acid. The approach recovers more than 97% of silver within minutes using comminution and flotation, instead of chemical-intensive processes that take hours. The technique uses mechanical crushing followed by flotation with water, air bubbles, and standard reagents. The study demonstrated froth flotation for metallic silver recovery from recycled PV panels, which had not been previously demonstrated. End-of-life PV panels contain 300–500 ppm silver, comparable to primary silver ores. Australia is projected to generate over one million tons of waste panels by 2050, containing 300–500 tons of silver. The research involved collaboration between two university centres and industry partners. The team is also investigating silicon recovery, which makes up most of a crystalline solar cell, and is examining whether similar techniques apply to other metals in waste streams.