Preparation and characterization of form-stable phase change material/end-of-life tires composites for thermal energy storag

Abstract

The management of end-of-life tires (ELT) waste gains importance in aspect of possible environmental andeconomic issues so the waste recycling becomes unavoidable. This study describes the fabrication and characterizationof a new phase changing material (PCM)/ELT microcomposites that could be used in thermal energy storage. Paraffintogether 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 effectof the preparation method. The thermal, morphological, and chemical properties of the prepared PCM/ELT rubbermicrocomposites are determined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), andFTIR, respectively. Additionally, the effects of the PCM amount on the composite materials are investigated. As a resultof DSC results, the melting temperature and latent heat of the paraffin/ELT rubber microcomposites are determinedas 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 usedas energy-saving materials in thermal energy storage applications.