Sustainable strategies to improve indoor comfort and reduce energy consumption in winter: Integration of fly ash and rice husk ash in PCM concrete
- 1Shaanxi Key Laboratory of safety and durability of concrete structures, Xijing University, Xi’an, China
- 2School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wenzhou Polytechnic University, Wenzhou, China
- 3College of Pipeline Engineering, Xi’an Shiyou University, Xi’an, China
Abstract
The thermal performance of a building envelope is closely related to its energy consumption. Merging industrial by-products like fly ash (FA) and rice husk ash (RHA) with phase change material (PCM) concrete unlocks a pathway to significantly enhanced thermal insulation properties for envelopes. This study investigated the effects of two different proportions of industrial by-products (5%−15% RHA and 10%−30% FA) on PCM concrete. The test results show that, at the same dosage, RHA is superior to FA in reducing thermal conductivity, especially at an incorporation rate of 15% RHA. Adding 15% RHA and 30% FA resulted in a 2.3 °C increase in the minimum temperature of the PCM concrete. Moderate RHA and FA resulted in a more uniform pore distribution and finer pore size. With increasing RHA content, the capillary pore volume increased and the fractal dimension decreased. In comparison, a higher FA content led to a significant increase in the total pore volume, particularly in the macropore volume, accompanied by a reduction in fractal dimension. The results of the correlation analysis indicated that capillary pores have a significant impact on the thermal properties. It is shown that PCM concrete can be used to obtain available insulated concrete, which has the potential to reduce winter energy consumption.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026sustainable,
title = {{Sustainable strategies to improve indoor comfort and reduce energy consumption in winter: Integration of fly ash and rice husk ash in PCM concrete}},
author = {Mingming Zhang and Qingling Wu and Tingting Lu and Honghao Ying},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0360241},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360241},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sustainable strategies to improve indoor comfort and reduce energy consumption in winter: Integration of fly ash and rice husk ash in PCM concrete
AU - Mingming Zhang
AU - Qingling Wu
AU - Tingting Lu
AU - Honghao Ying
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0360241
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360241
AB - The thermal performance of a building envelope is closely related to its energy consumption. Merging industrial by-products like fly ash (FA) and rice husk ash (RHA) with phase change material (PCM) concrete unlocks a pathway to significantly enhanced thermal insulation properties for envelopes. This study investigated the effects of two different proportions of industrial by-products (5%−15% RHA and 10%−30% FA) on PCM concrete. The test results show that, at the same dosage, RHA is superior to FA in reducing thermal conductivity, especially at an incorporation rate of 15% RHA. Adding 15% RHA and 30% FA resulted in a 2.3 °C increase in the minimum temperature of the PCM concrete. Moderate RHA and FA resulted in a more uniform pore distribution and finer pore size. With increasing RHA content, the capillary pore volume increased and the fractal dimension decreased. In comparison, a higher FA content led to a significant increase in the total pore volume, particularly in the macropore volume, accompanied by a reduction in fractal dimension. The results of the correlation analysis indicated that capillary pores have a significant impact on the thermal properties. It is shown that PCM concrete can be used to obtain available insulated concrete, which has the potential to reduce winter energy consumption.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -