Abstract
This article covers new application for char as a carrier of phase-change materials (PCM) that could be used as an additive to building materials. Being composed of bio-char and PCM, the granulate successfully competes with more expensive commercial materials of this type, such as Micronal® PCM. As a PCM carrier, char that was obtained from the pyrolysis of chestnut fruit (Aesculus hippocastanum) with different absorbances of the model phase-change material, Rubitherm RT22, was tested. DSC analysis elucidated several thermal properties (such as enthalpy, phase transition temperature, and temperature peak) of those mixtures and the results were compared with a commercial equivalent, Micronal DS 5040 X. Comparative research, approximating realistic conditions, were also performed by cooling and heating samples in a form of coatings that were made from chars with different content of RT22. These results indicated that the use of char as a PCM carrier was not only possible, but also beneficial from a thermodynamic point of view and it could serve as an alternative to commercial products. In this case, adsorption RT22 into char allowed for temperature stabilization comparable to Micronal DS 5040 X with ease of use as well as the economic advantages of being very low cost to produce due to microencapsulation. Other advantage of the proposed solution is related with the application of char obtained from waste biomass pyrolysis as a PCM carrier, and using this product in building construction to improve thermal comfort and increase energy efficiency.
Highlights
Analyzing the development directions of modern building construction, there is a clear effort to build with attention towards a reduction in energy consumption without sacrificing comfort [1,2,3]
Styrofoam is a popular supportive building material that works with silicate blocks and lowers energy consumption, but, due to the possibility of thermal bridges between the contacting blocks, lowers energy consumption to a certain level
It was decided to reanalyze the obtained results to better understand the effect of char with different contents of Rubitherm RT22 on the mechanism of heat exchange occurring in the samples
Summary
Analyzing the development directions of modern building construction, there is a clear effort to build with attention towards a reduction in energy consumption without sacrificing comfort [1,2,3]. We increasingly seek to develop new materials with better thermal and insulation properties that could be used in building construction because we attach so much importance to reduce energy consumption, optimizing its use and searching for new, pro-ecological ways to obtain it. Current building materials do result in significant energy consumption reduction; they are still relatively expensive and require new solutions to reduce energy consumption, and to be more cost effective [4,5,6,7]. Styrofoam is a popular supportive building material that works with silicate blocks and lowers energy consumption, but, due to the possibility of thermal bridges between the contacting blocks, lowers energy consumption to a certain level. In low-energy, and especially passive building constructions, materials with better insulation properties should be used, but those materials are more expensive and drive up investment/construction costs
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