Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies
The phase change material (PCM)-integrated solar water heaters have great potential to save energy by utilizing renewable resources and to extend working hours even after sunsets. The PCM composites fabricated with recycled waste products lead to the circular economy which would contribute significa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Energy and Built Environment |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666123324000096 |
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| author | Safna Nishad Mabrouk Ouederni Igor Krupa |
| author_facet | Safna Nishad Mabrouk Ouederni Igor Krupa |
| author_sort | Safna Nishad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The phase change material (PCM)-integrated solar water heaters have great potential to save energy by utilizing renewable resources and to extend working hours even after sunsets. The PCM composites fabricated with recycled waste products lead to the circular economy which would contribute significantly to the sustainable development goals. In this work, Tetra Pak waste (TP) was used to prepare a form-stable PCM composite by mixing with paraffin wax (PW) and expanded graphite (EG) to integrate with solar water heaters. Two different PWs with melting points of 44 (RT44) and 64 (RT64) were used in the lower and higher temperature ranges of domestic water heating applications, respectively. The prepared composites exhibited enhanced thermal conductivity (1.1–1.15 W/m °C), heat storage capacity (98.5–105.6 J/g), and photothermal conversion efficiency (85 % and 55 % for composites with RT44 and RT64, respectively). The numerical analysis conducted on a validated model helped to estimate the optimum composite thickness for specific solar exposure time. The fabricated PCM composite promoted the recycling of TP waste into useful products and was efficient in maintaining a higher nocturnal water temperature in the solar water heater. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-22f3f2eca6b941a9958c4637142cea1b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-1233 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energy and Built Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-22f3f2eca6b941a9958c4637142cea1b2025-02-08T05:01:12ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Energy and Built Environment2666-12332025-06-0163455465Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficienciesSafna Nishad0Mabrouk Ouederni1Igor Krupa2Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha 2713, QatarQatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), Doha 756, QatarCenter for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar; Materials Science and Technology Graduate Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar; Corresponding author.The phase change material (PCM)-integrated solar water heaters have great potential to save energy by utilizing renewable resources and to extend working hours even after sunsets. The PCM composites fabricated with recycled waste products lead to the circular economy which would contribute significantly to the sustainable development goals. In this work, Tetra Pak waste (TP) was used to prepare a form-stable PCM composite by mixing with paraffin wax (PW) and expanded graphite (EG) to integrate with solar water heaters. Two different PWs with melting points of 44 (RT44) and 64 (RT64) were used in the lower and higher temperature ranges of domestic water heating applications, respectively. The prepared composites exhibited enhanced thermal conductivity (1.1–1.15 W/m °C), heat storage capacity (98.5–105.6 J/g), and photothermal conversion efficiency (85 % and 55 % for composites with RT44 and RT64, respectively). The numerical analysis conducted on a validated model helped to estimate the optimum composite thickness for specific solar exposure time. The fabricated PCM composite promoted the recycling of TP waste into useful products and was efficient in maintaining a higher nocturnal water temperature in the solar water heater.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666123324000096Recycled Tetra Pak wasteSolar water heaterThermal energy storagePhase change materialPhotothermal conversion |
| spellingShingle | Safna Nishad Mabrouk Ouederni Igor Krupa Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies Energy and Built Environment Recycled Tetra Pak waste Solar water heater Thermal energy storage Phase change material Photothermal conversion |
| title | Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies |
| title_full | Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies |
| title_fullStr | Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies |
| title_short | Thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled Tetra Pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies |
| title_sort | thermal energy storage materials designed from recycled tetra pak waste and paraffin waxes with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiencies |
| topic | Recycled Tetra Pak waste Solar water heater Thermal energy storage Phase change material Photothermal conversion |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666123324000096 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT safnanishad thermalenergystoragematerialsdesignedfromrecycledtetrapakwasteandparaffinwaxeswithenhancedphotothermalconversionefficiencies AT mabroukouederni thermalenergystoragematerialsdesignedfromrecycledtetrapakwasteandparaffinwaxeswithenhancedphotothermalconversionefficiencies AT igorkrupa thermalenergystoragematerialsdesignedfromrecycledtetrapakwasteandparaffinwaxeswithenhancedphotothermalconversionefficiencies |