Mechanical and thermal properties of beef tallow/rice husk charcoal-based plaster for building applications

The construction industry represents the largest energy-consuming sector globally, primarily due to its substantial operational processes power demand. To address this, there has been an increased emphasis on using materials capable of absorbing and storing heat as alternative energy storage in buildings. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) demonstrate this capability, harnessing the latent heat principle to absorb surplus heat energy and subsequently release it in times of deficiency. This study examines the mechanical and thermal properties of wall cladding materials integrated with PCMs, specifically beef tallow and rice husk charcoal. These composites were produced via direct incorporation, with rice husk charcoal weight fractions of 8, 10, and 12 %. This approach resulted in weight fractions of 28, 30, and 32 % in the plaster layer material. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) tests confirmed the PCM composite's chemical compatibility across all its components, with the composite morphology appearing as microcapsules. In terms of thermal conductivity, the addition of rice husk charcoal to beef tallow enhanced the PCM composite's performance. This enhancement indicated that approximately 10 % of rice husk charcoal weight fraction could be successfully incorporated into the plaster layer material without leakage. At an ambient temperature of 45 °C, a plaster composite with 30 wt. % PCM met the standard compressive strength for plaster coating. Furthermore, it was found that this composite could reduce the temperature by 2.4 °C. The results concluded that beef-tallow PCM exhibits promising potential as a heat storage system for buildings, contributing to energy conservation in the construction industry