Economical and shape-stabilized hydrated salt/bagasse biomass-derived carbon phase change composite for thermal energy storage

Due to their high heat storage density, low cost, and non-inflammability, hydrated salts have significant potential for application in thermal energy storage for buildings. Hydrated salts, however, have a few drawbacks, including high supercooling degree, unstable shape, and phase separation. In general, materials such as graphite, aerogel, and foam metal are commonly used to provide support for hydrated salts in order to mitigate or eliminate their drawbacks. While these currently used supporting materials have expensive and complicated production procedures. In this study, we developed bagasse biomass-derived carbon (BBC) materials to obtain easily accessible, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly support materials. Using the high-temperature carbonization method, the bagasse made from biological waste displayed a highly oriented and stacked lamellar structure. This not only significantly lowered the cost but also made the storage of hydrated salts easier. A straightforward vacuum impregnation technique was used to create SSD-SC/BBC phase change composites (PCCs). In comparison to sodium sulfate decahydrate (SSD), the developed SSD-SC/BBC9 PCCs exhibited a higher thermal storage capacity of 161.5 J/g, along with an exceptionally low supercooling degree. They also demonstrated the higher thermal conductivity of 1.79 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹, improved thermal reliability, and enhanced solar-thermal energy conversion ability. Compared to other support materials, the economic analysis using static and dynamic payback periods demonstrates that the utilization of biomass-derived carbon as a support material for phase change materials (PCMs) is cost-effective, with lower preparation costs and a shorter payback period. A simple, affordable, and environmentally friendly method for utilizing hydrated salts in thermal energy storage for buildings is provided by SSD-SC/BBC9 PCCs.