Lithium Universe Applies for AEA Ignite Grant to Advance Solar Panel Recycling

Lithium Universe (ASX: LU7) and Macquarie University have applied for funding under Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite program to support the development of an integrated recycling prototype for end-of-life solar panels.

The grant will help advance a revolutionary method of solar panel recycling that integrates Macquarie’s microwave joule heating technology (MJHT) with jet electrochemical silver extraction (JESE) to recover high-purity silver (>96%), intact glass and recyclable silicon wafers from photovoltaic cells.

It will provide vital resources to accelerate the 12-month project from laboratory validation to a scalable pilot prototype, positioning Australia at the forefront of global solar panel recycling efforts.

Globally Important Partnership

Lithium Universe chair Iggy Tan said the application validated the global importance of the partnership with Macquarie University.

“With silver shortages looming and solar waste rising, the timing [of this innovation] could not be more critical,” he said.

“The integration of these two technologies is a breakthrough solution that recovers critical resources with speed, efficiency, and environmental integrity—this grant will allow us to accelerate toward pilot demonstration and future commercialisation.”

He said the project aligned with Australian federal government priorities including the advancement of renewables and low-emission technologies, the development of critical and strategic minerals processing and the achievement of national net-zero commitments.

Early-Stage Commercialisation

The AEA Ignite program supports early-stage commercialisation through competitive grants of up to $500,000 available to researchers at Australian universities for lab testing and proof-of-concept studies.

Round 1 of the grants earlier this year saw more than $59 million allocated to 28 universities across Australia to support 155 critical research commercialisation projects of national interest.

Lithium Universe’s grant application is for a total $385,728 and the company would support it with a cash contribution of $100,000 and $171,600 in-kind, plus a $39,700 cash contribution from Macquarie University and $187,306 in-kind—a total of $884,334 over 12 months commencing January 2026.

Lithium Universe will continue to fund $100,000 in research and development costs over the next six months or until approval of the application.

Technical Breakthroughs

Lithium Universe expects the combined MJHT-JESE approach to deliver multiple technical breakthroughs in solar panel recycling including the preservation of silicon wafer integrity, enabling re-use of wafers in high-value applications rather than losing them to waste streams.

The process dramatically shortens processing times to minutes instead of hours or days and reduces reduces chemical intensity by operating with dilute acids rather than toxic leachants.

It also incorporates closed-loop electrolyte recirculation to ensure zero waste generation and produces high-purity metallic silver for re-use in new photovoltaic cells and electronic components.