SiZero

What SiZero does

Si-ZERO is a global sustainability research initiative operated by the Fluid & Process Dynamics Research Group at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Its stated mission is to advance silicon zero-emission recycling, refining, and production technologies for end-of-life solar panel lifecycle management. The program is publicly funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and is explicitly not a commercial product or services company.

The program executes four interconnected research streams: (1) mechanical and heat pre-treatments of solar PV panels for delamination, glass liberation, and EVA removal, led with Indonesian partners Remind, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and BRIN; (2) slag optimization and distribution measurement for cleaner silicon refining, in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad; (3) blue-laser melting combined with hydrometallurgical processing for high-purity silver recovery from PV cells, partnering with UGM and BRIN; and (4) zero-carbon silicon electrochemical production and refining, with Sadoway Labs Foundation, IIT Hyderabad, and the Indian renewable operator Greenko Group. These streams combine pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and electrochemical process engineering, and have received external recognition including a Best Poster Presentation at an international symposium.

The initiative has no commercial revenue model, no pricing structure, no paying customers, and no disclosed headcount of its own; it is coordinated as a multi-institution research program across Australia, India, Indonesia, and the United States. The dataset contains conflicting firmographic signals (a German Munich address, a 2019 EXIST grant, and cybersecurity-titled leadership) that do not align with the Swinburne-hosted research program described in the main data, and this internal inconsistency is a material limitation of the available intelligence.

Name

SiZero

Legal name

Fluid & Process Dynamics Research Group, Swinburne University of Technology

Website

https://sizero.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Si-ZERO is a publicly funded, Swinburne University of Technology research program developing zero-emission recycling, refining, and production technologies for end-of-life solar panels and silicon, executed with a global partner consortium across Australia, India, Indonesia, and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Panel Recycling Research

NAICS

Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141)

SIC

Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Plant Components Supply & Manufacturing (Modules, Cells, Wafers, Mirrors, Heliostats) (EUACAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar PV Module & Cell Manufacturing (Crystalline, Thin-Film) (EUAMAHAA), Silicon Wafers (Prime/Test/SOI) (HDAHAGAA)

Keywords

• Solar panel recycling
• Silicon refining
• Circular economy research
• PV waste processing
• Zero-carbon silicon

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Si-ZERO is a research program developing zero-emission recycling, refining, and production technologies for end-of-life solar panels. It operates four interconnected research streams: mechanical and heat pre-treatments for PV panel recycling, slag optimization for silicon refining, blue laser melting combined with hydrometallurgical processing for silver recovery, and zero-carbon electrochemical silicon production. The program is led by Swinburne University of Technology and collaborates with research and industry partners across Australia, India, Indonesia, and the United States.

Product overview

SiZero is a global sustainability research initiative led by Swinburne University of Technology, not a commercial product company. It operates four interconnected research programs focused on silicon zero-emission recycling, refining, and production from end-of-life solar panels: (1) Mechanical and Heat Pre-Treatments of Solar PV Panel for material recovery, (2) Slag Optimisation & Distribution Measurement for silicon refining, (3) Blue Laser Melting & Hydrometallurgical Processing for silver recovery, and (4) Zero-Carbon Silicon Electrochemical Production & Refining. Together, these programs form an integrated approach to building a sustainable, circular solar energy supply chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical and Heat Pre-Treatments of Solar PV Panel
• Slag Optimisation and Distribution Measurement Research program engineering high-performance slag systems through advanced modelling and property measurement to support cleaner and more efficient silicon refining, providing thermodynamic insights for electro-slag and molten-oxide refining technologies.
• Blue Laser Melting and Hydrometallurgical Processing for Ag Recovery Research program advancing selective blue-laser melting technologies to cleanly detach metallic layers from PV cells, enabling high-purity silver extraction combined with targeted hydrometallurgical processing for critical metal recovery from waste PV modules.
• Zero-Carbon Silicon Electrochemical Production and Refining Research program developing new pathways for producing and refining silicon with significantly lower environmental footprint, integrating innovative electrical and slag-based refining approaches as alternatives to conventional silicon manufacturing.

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swinburne University of Technology - Fluid & Process Dynamics Research GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution and primary research partner hosting the Si-ZERO Research Program. The Fluid & Process Dynamics Research Group leads the initiative and coordinates all research programs.
• IIT Hyderabad - Materials Science & Metallurgical EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for slag optimisation and zero-carbon silicon electrochemical production. Contributes expertise in metallurgical engineering and provides research collaboration in India.
• Greenko GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for zero-carbon silicon electrochemical production and refining, bringing commercial expertise and potential for technology deployment in India's renewable energy sector.
• Ethical Circular Material - RemindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for mechanical and heat pre-treatment research focused on solar PV panel recycling solutions, providing Indonesian market perspective and circular economy expertise.
• BRIN - Badan Riset dan Inovasi NasionalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian national research and innovation agency partner contributing to blue laser melting and hydrometallurgical processing research for PV module recycling.
• Universitas Gadjah MadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Indonesia contributing to mechanical pre-treatment and blue laser melting research programs for solar panel recycling.
• PV Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability (PVRS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation for international symposium participation and knowledge exchange in PV solar panel recycling and sustainability.
• Sadoway Labs FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based foundation partner contributing to zero-carbon silicon electrochemical production and refining research, bringing innovative electrical refining expertise.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ROSI Solar: French/Dutch PV recycling specialist with proprietary silver and high-purity material recovery from end-of-life modules; comparable to Si-ZERO's Blue Laser Melting & Hydrometallurgical Processing for Ag Recovery program and target customer base of solar value-chain buyers.
• Rinovasol: German PV recycling startup developing processes for end-of-life solar module material recovery; comparable as a geographically adjacent emerging peer targeting the same European end-of-life PV waste stream and recycling-related regulation.
• SolarCycle: US-based solar PV module recycling startup that recovers materials from end-of-life panels, directly competing with Si-ZERO's mechanical pre-treatment and hydrometallurgical processing lines for the same upstream feedstock and downstream critical-metal buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Wacker Chemie: German polysilicon and silicon products major serving the global semiconductor and solar wafer supply chains; comparable as an established incumbent player whose conventional silicon refining routes Si-ZERO's zero-carbon electrochemical refining aims to displace or differentiate from.
• First Solar: US-based thin-film PV module manufacturer operating its own take-back and recycling program for end-of-life CdTe panels; relevant peer as an incumbent solar manufacturer that has vertically integrated recycling to secure critical materials and supply circularity guarantees.
• Tongwei Co. Chinese polysilicon and solar cell leader and one of the world's largest polysilicon producers; comparable as a scaled incumbent whose conventional polysilicon output is the volume benchmark Si-ZERO's cleaner refining would compete against.
• Daqo New Energy: Chinese high-purity polysilicon manufacturer serving the global solar PV supply chain; comparable as another incumbent commodity polysilicon producer whose cost and emissions profile Si-ZERO's electrochemical refining would need to beat on ESG grounds.
• Veolia: Global environmental services leader operating hazardous waste and recycling lines that include solar PV panel handling; comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlap with Si-ZERO's end-of-life panel recycling and material recovery activities, but as part of a much wider waste-services portfolio.
• Hemlock Semiconductor: US-based polysilicon manufacturer supplying the global solar and semiconductor industries; relevant peer as an incumbent polysilicon supplier whose production routes set the benchmark Si-ZERO's zero-carbon approach seeks to undercut on emissions intensity.
• REC Silicon: Norwegian-headquartered producer of high-purity polysilicon for the solar PV and electronics industries; directly comparable end-product (silicon feedstock) and target market (solar wafer makers) as Si-ZERO's zero-carbon silicon refining program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SiZero