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

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