Circular Silicon
Circular Silicon is a Germany-based cleantech company that recovers silicon, silver, and copper from end-of-life photovoltaic waste streams for solar asset owners, PV recyclers, and sustainable manufacturers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersBraunschweig, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Circular Silicon does
Circular Silicon is a Germany-based cleantech company, founded in 2023 and headquartered in Braunschweig, that develops recycling technology for end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) materials. The company's core process recovers silicon-bearing fractions from PV waste streams—including laminates, flakes, granulates, and dusts/fines—that conventional recycling operations typically underutilize, and extends the recovery chain to silver and copper contained in the same feedstocks.
The underlying technology combines proprietary delamination and separation steps with a refining process tailored for silicon-rich powders, with an industrial-scale production line already deployed for proving tests. Circular Silicon is a partner in the EU-funded LIFE SIRCULAR project (LIFE24-ENV-IT-SIRCULAR), running June 2025 to May 2028 with a €3.39M EU contribution, which targets 7,000 tonnes of annual PV material throughput and 1,500 tonnes of low-purity silicon plus 300 tonnes of high-purity silicon recovery by 2028. A first industrial laminate and flake processing line is planned for launch in December 2026.
Commercially, Circular Silicon operates as a B2B industrial service provider engaging directly with companies that generate silicon-bearing PV waste streams—primarily solar asset owners/operators and PV recycling companies—through processing fees and the sale of recovered silicon, silver, and copper fractions. The company has no disclosed customers, no publicly disclosed pricing, and revenue is not publicly reported. As of the available data, the firm has 5 employees and operates from Braunschweig (Germany) with a regional entity in Hong Kong.
Circular Silicon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Circular Silicon
- Legal name
- Circular Silicon Europe GmbH
- Website
- https://circularsilicon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Circular Silicon is a Germany-based cleantech company that recovers silicon, silver, and copper from end-of-life photovoltaic waste streams for solar asset owners, PV recyclers, and sustainable manufacturers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Circular Silicon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Solar Panel Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)
- SIC
- Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Solar End-of-Life, Recycling & Decommissioning (Panels, Inverters, Racking) (EUAMABAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- PV & Energy Device Recycling (Solar Panels, Inverters, Power Electronics) (EUAIAIAL), Circularity, Refurbishment & Resale (Used Modules/Turbines/Components) (EUAMALAK), PV Balance-of-System (BOS) Recycling (Inverters, Racking, Wiring, Transformers) (EUAMALAB), Silicon Wafers (Prime/Test/SOI) (HDAHAGAA)
Keywords
Where Circular Silicon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Braunschweig
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Circular Silicon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- PV Waste Material Processing Services: Circular Silicon processes silicon-bearing PV waste streams from companies, recovering silicon, silver, and copper fractions for further processing. Revenue is generated through processing fees or material purchase arrangements with generators of end-of-life solar materials.
- Recovered Material Sales: Sale of recovered silicon (low-purity and high-purity), silver, and copper fractions extracted from end-of-life PV materials to downstream processing facilities or manufacturers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Circular Silicon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Circular Silicon processes silicon-bearing PV waste streams from end-of-life solar panels at its industrial facility in Braunschweig, Germany. The company applies proprietary delamination, separation, and refining processes to recover silicon (low- and high-purity), silver, and copper fractions from laminates, flakes, granulates, and dusts. The service accepts varied silicon-bearing feed materials from PV recyclers, solar asset owners and operators, and sustainable manufacturers.
Product overview
Circular Silicon is a cleantech company based in Germany that offers a unified recycling technology platform for end-of-life solar materials. The company's core offering combines Silicon Recovery Technology, Silver & Copper Value Recovery, and Industrial Implementation Services to process silicon-bearing PV waste streams. Their processing capabilities span four material categories: Laminate Processing (whole or pre-treated PV laminates with glass adhesion), Flakes Processing (shredded laminate flakes), Granulates Processing (silicon-bearing granulates), and Dusts & Fines Processing (fine silicon-based powders). The company also participates in research initiatives like the LIFE SIRCULAR project to advance industrial-scale silicon and silver recovery from photovoltaic materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Laminates Processing Industrial processing service for whole or pre-treated PV laminates with varying levels of glass adhesion or residual contamination, including with-glass residues, low-impurity laminates, and module dismantling fractions. Designed for PV recyclers and asset owners needing to recover value from end-of-life laminate material.
- Flakes Processing Industrial processing service for shredded laminate flakes ranging from glass-bearing fractions to cleaner polymer-silicon material, including glass-bearing, low-glass, and polymer-silicon flakes. For PV recyclers seeking to extract silicon value from shredded laminate output streams.
- Granulates Processing Industrial processing service for silicon-bearing granulates from mixed recycling streams to cleaner silicon-rich fractions, including mixed granulates, silicon-rich granulates, and pre-recycling fractions. For PV recyclers needing downstream refinement of granulate by-product streams.
- Dusts & Fines Processing Industrial processing service for fine silicon-based powders and dust fractions with varying levels of glass, polymer, and inorganic contamination, including mixed fines, silicon-rich dusts, and process dusts. For recyclers needing to recover value from fine-grained waste fractions typically underutilized in conventional recycling.
- Industrial Implementation Services Combination of process development, laminate processing activities, and industrial scale-up support with applied research, translating Circular Silicon's silicon recovery technology into industrial reality for partners across the PV recycling value chain.
Quantifiable outcome
- Expected to recycle 7,000 tonnes of PV laminates, granulates and flakes by 2028
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Circular Silicon
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Circular Silicon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Circular Silicon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- B.F.C. SISTEMI SRLflagshipB.F.C. SISTEMI SRL serves as the coordinator of the LIFE SIRCULAR EU-funded project (LIFE24-ENV-IT-SIRCULAR / 101213673). The project runs from June 2025 to May 2028 with a total budget of €5,652,564 and EU contribution of €3,391,525, focused on industrial recycling solutions for silicon and silver from end-of-life photovoltaic panels.
- LIFE SIRCULAR ConsortiumflagshipThe LIFE SIRCULAR consortium brings together industrial and academic partners working on scalable recycling solutions for end-of-life PV materials. Circular Silicon contributes to industrialisation of silicon recovery routes, optimization of silicon laminate separation lines, and implementation of silicon refining process.
- JPM Silicon GmbHcoreJPM Silicon GmbH initiated the foundational research project in 2021/22 focused on developing techniques for silicon recovery from end-of-life panels. JPM Silicon contributed research expertise and served as a founding collaborative partner in technology development.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Circular Silicon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ROSI Solar: Specialist in high-purity silicon and silver recovery from end-of-life PV panels; the most direct competitor to Circular Silicon's multi-metal recovery thesis, operating similar recycling flows for the European PV waste market.
- Rinovasol: Germany-based PV recycling company recovering silicon and other materials from end-of-life solar modules; directly competes with Circular Silicon in the German/European market with overlapping customer base of utility operators and PV installers.
- SunR ReCyclar (SunR): European PV recycling specialist focused on recovering valuable materials including silicon from end-of-life solar panels; overlaps with Circular Silicon on feedstock type, geography, and target customer segments.
- Reiling GmbH: German glass recycling company with a dedicated PV recycling line that processes end-of-life solar modules; competes for the same German/European PV waste stream and serves overlapping utility and installer customers.
Emerging players
- SolarCycle: US-headquartered PV recycling startup building high-throughput solar panel recycling capacity; comparable business model of recovering high-value materials (silicon, silver, copper) from end-of-life panels, though primarily serving the North American market today.
- Saule Technologies: Emerging printed/perovskite PV developer with circularity focus; thematically adjacent rather than a direct recycler, but shares the EU-based cleantech and circular-economy narrative relevant to Circular Silicon's market positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Veolia: Global environmental services incumbent with established hazardous-waste and PV module recycling operations in Europe; broader portfolio but directly overlapping on PV end-of-life processing and circular-economy positioning.
- Aurubis: Large European copper and nonferrous metals recycler/refiner; relevant as a potential downstream buyer or competitor for silver and copper fractions recovered from PV waste streams.
- Wacker Chemie: Major polysilicon and silicon wafer producer with circular-economy initiatives for silicon recovery; broad incumbent whose vertical integration or partnerships could represent either a competitor or off-take partner for Circular Silicon's recovered silicon.
- First Solar: Vertically integrated thin-film PV manufacturer with an industry-leading PV recycling and module recovery program; comparable end-of-life processing capabilities though captive to its own module volumes.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Circular Silicon social profiles
Digital presenceCircular Silicon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Circular Silicon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Circular Silicon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Circular Silicon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Circular Silicon
What does Circular Silicon do?
Circular Silicon processes silicon-bearing PV waste streams from end-of-life solar panels at its industrial facility in Braunschweig, Germany. The company applies proprietary delamination, separation, and refining processes to recover silicon (low- and high-purity), silver, and copper fractions from laminates, flakes, granulates, and dusts. The service accepts varied silicon-bearing feed materials from PV recyclers, solar asset owners and operators, and sustainable manufacturers.
Is Circular Silicon a public or private company?
Circular Silicon is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Circular Silicon founded?
Circular Silicon was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Circular Silicon based?
Circular Silicon is headquartered in Braunschweig, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Circular Silicon make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. PV Waste Material Processing Services are the primary driver. The others are recovered Material Sales.
Who are Circular Silicon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ROSI Solar, Rinovasol, SunR ReCyclar (SunR) and Reiling GmbH. Emerging players are SolarCycle and Saule Technologies. Broad incumbents are Veolia, Aurubis, Wacker Chemie and First Solar.
Does Circular Silicon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Circular Silicon.
What industry is Circular Silicon in?
Circular Silicon's product category is Solar Panel Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMABAM, Solar End-of-Life, Recycling & Decommissioning (Panels, Inverters, Racking), with a secondary code of EUAIAIAL, PV & Energy Device Recycling (Solar Panels, Inverters, Power Electronics). Its NAICS code is 562920 and its SIC code is 3341.