Environmental Impacts of Pb Leaching from Halide Perovskites

A significant concern is accidental Pb leaching from PSCs and modules, due to the well-documented Pb toxicity. Review of the current knowledge shows that this threat is found to be comparable to that posed by currently used Pb-containing products, and a plethora of measures are available to mitigate the environmental impact of Pb.[1] However, Pb leaching from damaged PSCs may imply a significant environmental impact on the surrounding soil in the case of module damage. We have examined the penetration profile of Pb from aqueous solutions of dissolved Pb-perovskite into the soil, and the Pb²⁺ adsorption mechanism to soil particles. The penetration profiles in all studied soils showed high affinity for Pb adsorption to soil, hence shallow immobilization of the Pb cations in all studied soils, with negligible odds of reaching and contaminating ground water. We, therefore, suggest that Pb in PSCs and its effect on the environment are not as concerning, as they seem to be.[2]<br/><br/>[1] A. Mallick, I. Visoly-Fisher, <i>Pb in halide perovskites for photovoltaics: reasons for optimism</i>, Mater. Adv. (2021) 2, 6125 - 6135<br/>[2] A. Mallick, R. D. Mendez Lopez, G. Arye, D. Cahen, I. Visoly-Fisher, <i>Soil adsorption and transport of lead in the presence of perovskite solar cell-derived organic cations</i>, J. Hazardous Materials (2023) 451, 131147.