Tokuyama Contributes to the Success of NSG's Horizontal Recycling Demonstration Experiment for Solar Panel Cover Glass

Tokuyama Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Tomohiro Inoue) has supplied solar panel cover glass (hereinafter "cover glass"), separated and processed using the "Solar Panel Low-Temperature Thermal Decomposition Recycling Technology" developed jointly with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), to Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Munehiro Hosonuma; hereinafter "NSG") for their float glass recycling demonstration experiment. NSG's demonstration experiment was conducted in February 2026 at their Chiba Plant float glass manufacturing kiln, where it was confirmed that the cover glass supplied by our company could be used as a raw material without any issues as recycled material.

Tokuyama's low-temperature thermal decomposition method is a chemical technique that achieves complete thermal decomposition of the resins that firmly bond the components of solar panels by utilizing a ceramic filter impregnated with a catalyst. This proprietary technology enables the horizontal recycling of cover glass into flat glass, which was previously considered impossible due to quality constraints. The practical application and widespread adoption of horizontal cover glass recycling are expected to contribute not only to the construction of a resource-circulating society through the recycling of raw materials from waste panels but also to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Our company has been selected for a follow-up NEDO subsidy project, which includes the automation of a second-generation thermal decomposition system aimed at achieving even higher levels of efficiency, as well as the development of a process to separate silicon from extracted PV cells to be used as raw material for our semiconductor-grade polycrystalline silicon products. To solve the massive solar panel disposal problem expected in the 2030s, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to social contribution by challenging ourselves to realize "zero landfill, 100% recycling" through continuous technological development and the dissemination of advanced recycling technologies.

[Images] NSG Chiba Plant Tokuyama Nanporo (Solar Panel Recycling Demonstration Facility)

About Tokuyama Corporation Tokuyama was established in 1918 in Tokuyama Town (now Shunan City), Yamaguchi Prefecture, with the goal of domesticating soda ash, which at the time relied on imports. In addition to traditional basic materials such as chemicals and cement, the company currently operates in the fields of advanced electronic materials such as semiconductor-grade polycrystalline silicon and high-purity IPA for the electronics industry; life sciences such as photochromic lens materials for eyewear and dental equipment; and environmental fields such as various recycling initiatives and ion-exchange membranes. For more details, please visit our website: https://www.tokuyama.co.jp/

About NSG Group (Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. and its group companies) NSG Group is one of the world's largest manufacturers of glass and glazing products for the architectural, automotive, and creative technology sectors. The Architectural Glass business manufactures and sells various types of architectural glass and glass for solar panels. The Automotive Glass business operates in the fields of original equipment (OE) glass and automotive glass replacement (AGR). The main products of the Creative Technology business include lenses used in printers and scanners, special glass fibers and glass flakes centered on glass cord used as reinforcement for timing belts, and fine glass. https://www.nsg.co.jp