Beeswax as a sustainable thermal energy storage material: Experimental thermal assessment in solar air heater

The significant disadvantage of paraffin wax as a phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage is its petroleum-based nature, which requires large carbon footprint especially in its production. Therefore, to minimize the environmental implications of the large carbon footprint, it is crucial to introduce organic alternatives to it as a thermal energy storage medium. This work aims to assess the potential of beeswax (BW) as an organic, naturally occurring PCM for thermal energy storage in solar air heater (SAH). The experimental results highlight the potential of BW as a thermal energy storage material, where it contributes to store the high amount of heat during the charging heat time and discharge it for approximately 4 h longer than the SAH without BW. Not only that, the application of BW also improves the energy and exergy gains of the SAH at discharge heat times (sunset), which were reflected in the improvement in the energy and exergy efficiencies by 68.46 % and 84.09 % respectively, at 5: 30 PM as an instantaneous comparison point. These results give an impetus to utilize BW as one of the alternatives to petroleum-based PCM as a thermal energy storage medium in different thermal energy applications.