Encapsulation of an Organic Phase Change Material in Wheat Straw Derived Cellulose by Spray Drying
| dc.contributor.advisor | De la Hoz Siegler, Hector | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ulrich, Anna | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Lu, Qingye Gemma | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Mahinpey, Nader | |
| dc.date | 2025-02 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-01-31T22:13:20Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-01-31T22:13:20Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-01-27 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Phase change materials (PCMs) have the potential to provide valuable thermal energy storage. However, PCMs are not widely used due to challenges with their implementation. Factors including leakage, high-cost materials, energy-intensive processes, and the presence of potentially toxic chemicals are barriers to the widespread use of PCMs. A promising approach is to use biomass derived materials for the encapsulation of PCMs, providing inexpensive and non-toxic wall materials. Spray drying processes are more favorable for large scale production than other encapsulation methods. Many studies have used cellulose or cellulose derivatives to encapsulate PCMs, however most of these methods pose significant challenges to scale up, either due to costs, toxicity, or difficulties with the method itself. This work aims to develop a process for the microencapsulation of a PCM using biomass derived wall materials and a spray drying process. This involved the isolation of cellulose from wheat straw, size reduction of cellulose, design and testing of a laboratory scale spray dryer, and spray drying of a cellulose stabilized PCM emulsion. It was found that cellulose could effectively be isolated from wheat straw, and several methods for size reduction were promising for encapsulation. In addition, two spray dryer prototypes were developed, which were able to successfully spray dry during testing, however they had low solids recovery. Successful microencapsulation of the PCM in cellulose by spray drying appears to have occurred based on SEM analysis. Further work is needed to improve cellulose size reduction, emulsion formation for encapsulation, spray dryer performance and operation, as well as rigorous evaluation of the produced microcapsules. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Ulrich, A. (2025). Encapsulation of an organic phase change material in wheat straw derived cellulose by spray drying (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1880/120650 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Graduate Studies | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Calgary | |
| dc.rights | University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. | |
| dc.subject | Phase Change Material | |
| dc.subject | Encapsulation | |
| dc.subject | Spray Dryer | |
| dc.subject | Cellulose | |
| dc.subject.classification | Engineering--Chemical | |
| dc.subject.classification | Energy | |
| dc.subject.classification | Materials Science | |
| dc.title | Encapsulation of an Organic Phase Change Material in Wheat Straw Derived Cellulose by Spray Drying | |
| dc.type | master thesis | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Engineering – Chemical & Petroleum | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Calgary | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science (MSc) | |
| ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent | I require a thesis withhold – I need to delay the release of my thesis due to a patent application, and other reasons outlined in the link above. I have/will need to submit a thesis withhold application. |