Experimental and theoretical analysis of Metal-Organic Frameworks’ energy storage performance for heating, cooling, power generation, and desalination

Abstract

The study addresses the urgent need to find materials and an advanced adsorption cycle for renewable and sustainable energy sources, aiming to resolve the conflict between rapidly increasing renewable energy demand and the low efficiency of the adsorption system. The simultaneous thermal analysis machine is utilized to measure the adsorption characteristics and adsorption heat of the adsorbent. Microscopic analysis of the adsorbent's structure is conducted using a confocal microscope. Through computational analysis, this paper investigates the comprehensive performance of the advanced adsorption cycle, including adsorption refrigeration, heating, power generation, and seawater desalination capabilities. The findings indicate that the material of HKUST-1(Cu) has the highest performance in heating, cooling, power generation, and desalination. The cooling capacity, heating capacity, power generation capacity, and desalination capacity are 727.9 kJ/kg, 1431.9 kJ/kg, 14.5 kJ/kg, 0.34 kg/kg when the temperature of heating, condensation, and evaporation is about 140 °C, 30 °C, and 15 °C. The HKUST-1(Cu) and UiO-66-BDC-NH2 have the highest desalination capacity and are suitable for high and low-temperature heat source usage. The study concludes that the material of HKUST-1(Cu) possesses the potential to serve as a viable alternative energy source in the cooling, heating, power generation, and desalination system. The novelty of this work lies in the comprehensive evaluation of the advanced cycle’s performance of multiple metal–organic frameworks within the context of cooling, heating, desalination, and power generation in one adsorption system. This research goes beyond previous efforts by providing valuable insights into the advanced cycle and its comprehensive performance of cooling, heating, power generation, and desalination capabilities.