Issue 13, 2025, Issue in Progress

From waste to energy storage: fabrication of shape-stabilized phase change composites using cellulose extracted from waste paper

Abstract

Organic phase change materials (PCMs) are promising for sustainable energy due to their high storage capacity, broad temperature control, and minimal volume change during phase transitions. However, their application is limited by low thermal conductivity and high leakage caused by volume instability. To address these issues, a shape-stabilizing approach using a nature-based and porous matrix of cellulose from recyclable resources, is proposed. In this study, a cellulose hydrogel-based composite was used as a support for encapsulating polyethylene glycol (PEG 2000) PCM, creating a phase change composite (PCC). Cellulose was extracted from waste newspaper (WP) through alkaline and peroxide treatments, achieving 16.5% efficiency and 78% purity. The cellulose was then used to synthesize different three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel networks with citric acid (CA) as the cross-linking agent. Carbon monofilaments (CFs) were incorporated into the hydrogels to enhance stability, reduce leakage, and improve thermal properties. The thermophysical and morphological characterization of the prepared system revealed that cellulose-based hydrogels were formed through esterification between cellulose hydroxyl groups and CA carboxyl groups. The leakage rate of the (cell-4/CF/PEG) PCC was measured as 4.25 wt% after 5 heating–cooling cycles. The latent heat of melting was similar to pure PEG 2000, with an energy storage capacity increase of 25%. Furthermore, the addition of CFs improved thermal conductivity (k) by 80% and achieved an enthalpy efficiency of 90%. The thermal diffusivity (α), specific heat capacity (Cp), and effective thermal conductivity (keff) of the (cell-4/CF/PEG) PCC were recorded as 8.2 × 10−9 m2 s−1, 5400 J kg−1 °C−1, and 0.027 W m−1 °C−1, respectively.

Graphical abstract: From waste to energy storage: fabrication of shape-stabilized phase change composites using cellulose extracted from waste paper

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Nov 2024
Accepted
04 Mar 2025
First published
02 Apr 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2025,15, 10049-10073

From waste to energy storage: fabrication of shape-stabilized phase change composites using cellulose extracted from waste paper

S. Saberi, G. Abdeali and A. R. Bahramian, RSC Adv., 2025, 15, 10049 DOI: 10.1039/D4RA07932A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements