Valorization of coconut peat to develop a novel shape-stabilized phase change material for thermal energy storage

Valorization of coconut peat to develop a novel shape-stabilized phase change material for thermal energy storage

Journal of Cleaner Production

10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141468

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141468

Pin Jin Ong, Si Hui Angela Goh, Yihao Leow, Suxi Wang, Pei Wang, Zibiao Li, Xuesong Yin, Beng Hoon Tan, Warintorn Thitsartarn, Jianwei Xu, Xian Jun Loh, Dan Kai, Qiang Zhu

26 February 2024

Ong, P. J., Goh, S. H. A., Leow, Y., Wang, S., Wang, P., Li, Z., Yin, X., Tan, B. H., Thitsartarn, W., Xu, J., Loh, X. J., Kai, D., & Zhu, Q. (2024). Valorization of coconut peat to develop a novel shape-stabilized phase change material for thermal energy storage. Journal of Cleaner Production, 446, 141468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141468

Coconut peat (CP) is a product derived from coconut husks and it has been recognized as a valuable resource for the removal of heavy metals, as an oil-sorbent material, and for agricultural purposes. However, large quantities of coconut husks are still discarded yearly, leading to environmental pollution. In this study, a series of CP/polyethylene glycol (CP/PEG) composites were prepared as novel shape-stabilized phase change materials (SSPCMs) by vacuum impregnation to demonstrate a potential new application of CP in the area of thermal energy storage. The composites were investigated by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, leakage test, and thermal cycling testing. The results revealed that the CP/PEG composites exhibit minimal leakage of PEG while the composite with a CP/PEG mass ratio of 3:7 has a high latent heat storage of 108.5 J/g and relative enthalpy efficiency of 91.7%. Meanwhile, TG results indicated that it has good thermal stability up to 150 °C and the thermal cycling test showed that it has excellent thermal reliability even after 100 thermal cycles. The heat harvesting and releasing performance of the sample was evaluated as well to understand its thermoregulation capability. Therefore, the obtained CP/PEG composite demonstrates that it can potentially be utilized for thermal storage applications such as in wallboard or building materials for passive cooling, thus fostering a cleaner process by realizing energy savings.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

This research / project is supported by the A*STAR - Career Development Fund
Grant Reference no. : C210812038

https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/20175

0959-6526

Institute of Materials Research and Engineering