Thermochemical sorption heat storage: Investigate the heat released from activated carbon beads used as porous host matrix for MgSO4 salt

Abstract

For sustainable and cost-effective thermal management and energy storage, sorption-base thermal storage has received a lot of attention. However, the low sorption capacity of sorbents has long been a barrier to high energy-density sorption-based thermal storage. We present a new promising composite with high heat release and sorption capacity. The use of MgSO4/bead activated carbon composites in thermochemical sorption heat storage has been investigated. Because of the highly developed microporosity and high apparent specific surface area of about 1300 m2/g, bead activated carbon (BAC) is a potential candidate as support for salt/support composites for thermochemical heat storage. Also, the thermal conductivity of BAC has been measured and found to be 0.14 W/mK, which is higher than that of other materials like zeolites or alumina. This high thermal conductivity can influence the water sorption equilibrium, controlling the temperature of the solid, avoiding hot-spots, and thus preventing desorption during the hydration step. In stationary conditions (RH = 60 %, gas flow = 30 mL/min), the water sorption capacity of BAC was 0.138 g/g. This value was 2.32 times higher when the salt was dispersed into the BAC matrix, for the composite 7.6-MgSO4/BAC. A water adsorption capacity, higher than the theoretical value, was observed and attributed to the condensation of water molecules within the porous structure, resulting in a high thermal energy density. The 7.6-MgSO4/BAC composite achieved the highest heat of hydration of 920 J/g. The 10 hydration/dehydration cycles performed (dehydration at 150 °C and hydration at 30 °C with a RH of 60 %) confirmed the composite's excellent stability. This research provides a promising low-carbon pathway for the efficient capture, storage, and utilization of thermal energy.