Abstract
The management of end-of-life tires (ELT) waste gains importance in aspect of possible environmental and economic issues so the waste recycling becomes unavoidable. This study describes the fabrication and characterization of a new phase changing material (PCM)/ELT microcomposites that could be used in thermal energy storage. Paraffin together with the 4 fatty acids and ELT rubber powder are used as PCMs and as the supporting material, respectively. Paraffin/ELT composites are fabricated, as well, by the vacuum impregnation method in order to investigate the effect of the preparation method. The thermal, morphological, and chemical properties of the prepared PCM/ELT rubber microcomposites are determined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and FTIR, respectively. Additionally, the effects of the PCM amount on the composite materials are investigated. As a result of DSC results, the melting temperature and latent heat of the paraffin/ELT rubber microcomposites are determined as 37.2 °C and 80.79 J/g for direct impregnation method and 36.8 °C and 80.69 J/g for vacuum impregnation method, respectively. Based on the findings of this study, it can be claimed that PCM/ELT rubber microcomposites can be used as energy-saving materials in thermal energy storage applications.
Highlights
The world’s energy needs are increasing daily, making energy conservation more vital in many sectors such as technological innovations and increment of living standards
Thereby, the melting enthalpy (Hm) and temperature (Tm) of the paraffin was calculated as 134.77 J/g and 37.57 °C, respectively
It can be concluded that the interaction paraffin and end-of-life tires (ELT) rubber has a positive influence on enthalpy of paraffin/ELT rubber composites
Summary
The world’s energy needs are increasing daily, making energy conservation more vital in many sectors such as technological innovations and increment of living standards. Many researches have attracted attention on developing biodegradable materials in order to reduce wastes and protect the environment [3,4]. In addition to producing biodegradable materials, the recycling of nonbiodegradable materials has gained importance as well in waste management. Waste tires have been recently considered a threat for environment since they are counted as nonbiodegradable [5]. An estimated 1 billion tires worldwide (approximately 17 million tons) complete their lives every year so a huge amount of waste arises in turn that recycling is really needed for both economy and environment [6].
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