Can vegetable oils be used as sustainable phase change materials for thermal energy storage in building?

Abstract

In a context where the need to reduce the carbon footprint of the building sector is increasingly pressing, this article looks at the potential application of vegetable oils as biobased phase change materials (PCM), offering a sustainable alternative to often harmful petrochemical products. The first part of our work detailed the different sources of production of vegetable oils worldwide. Secondly, the chemical characteristics of 45 vegetable oils were analyzed to propose their classification according to the average number of unsaturations (ANU) per fatty acid. Then, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to characterize the thermal properties of these vegetable oils, especially during their change of solid-liquid state. These measurements led to the precise determination of the melting and crystallization temperatures and the associated enthalpies. These characteristics, which vary from one vegetable oil to another, were discussed considering the structural information previously established. Then, determining which plant oils were most suitable for PCM functions in various application areas was possible. The materials identified in this paper have the advantage of being useable in many different countries and at reduced costs.