Thermo-Mechanical Assessment of Bio-based Insulating Material Using Phase Change Materials and Date Palm Fibers
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: To mitigate extreme temperature fluctuations in arid southern Algerian cities, developing an internal thermal environment that is either independent of or only marginally influenced by external conditions is a viable solution. In this study, we successfully created a eutectic mixture of animal and plant fatty acids, excluding petroleum sources, consisting of 70% myristic acid (MA) and 30% stearic acid (SA). This phase change material (PCM) was then impregnated into date palm fiber waste (DPF) using a vacuum technique. The melting points of both the eutectic mixture and the impregnated date palm fiber were measured at 35°C and 34.5°C, respectively. Clay bricks, which are widely used in Algerian construction, were prepared with 75% dune sand and 10% lime. Date palm fibers impregnated with PCM were added in varying proportions (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%) to test the mechanical and thermal properties of the bricks. The results showed an improvement in thermal insulation, with a reduction in thermal conductivity by 11% for bricks containing 2% impregnated palm fibers. The compressive strength of these bricks remained within acceptable limits, regardless of whether the PCM was in a solid or liquid state. Numerical simulations showed that adding MA-SA/DPF to clay bricks contributed to a 30% reduction in outward heat flow in winter and a 25% reduction in inward heat flow in summer. This, in turn, resulted in a corresponding decrease in energy consumption.
Institution: Université de Mostaganem
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408154203