In situ thermal and acoustic performance and environmental impact of the introduction of a shape-stabilized PCM layer for building applications

Energy consumption in buildings accounts for up to 34% of total energy demand in developed countries. Thermal energy storage (TES) through phase change materials (PCM) is considered as a promising solution for this energetic problem in buildings. The material used in this paper is an own-developed shape stabilized PCM with a polymeric matrix and 12% paraffin PCM, and it includes a waste from the recycling steel process known as electrical arc furnace dust (EAFD), which provides acoustic insulation performance capability. This dense sheet material was installed and experimentally tested. Ambient temperature, humidity, and wall temperatures were measured and the thermal behaviour and acoustic properties were registered. Finally, because of the nature of the waste used, a leaching test was also carried out. The thermal profiles show that the inclusion of PCM decreases the indoor ambient temperature up to 3 °C; the acoustic measurements performed in situ demonstrate that the new dense sheet material is able to acoustically insulate up to 4 dB more than the reference cubicle; and the leaching test results show that the material developed incorporating PCM and EAFD must be considered a non-hazardous material.