Physical Characteristics of Aceh Traditional Salt and Its Potential as Raw Material for Thermal Energy Storage

Thermal energy storage is an important element in order to conserve the energy and optimize the overall efficiency. Development of energy storage system for local purposes requires some information on the raw material which is abundantly available in the local market. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of traditionally produced salt in Aceh in terms of its potential use as a raw material for thermal energy storage. The sample was collected from the Aceh Besar District and treated by heating at temperatures of 400 °C and 800 °C in a muffle furnace. This treatment is carried out to study the changes in properties and define the best procedure for salt preparation. All samples were characterized under a number of techniques including XRF, XRD, SEM/EDS, TGA/DSC analysis, density, thermal conductivity, and electrolytic conductivity. The XRF characterization showed that the local Aceh salt was graded as a category III salt. Furthermore, according to the TGA/DSC characterization, the melting temperature is close to 800 °C, and the enthalpy value is close to 492 kJ/kg. It is ample evidence that the Aceh salt can be used as a thermal energy storage material. Furthermore, increasing the temperature of local salt’s heat treatment contributes to increasing the enthalpy value, crystal size, density, thermal conductivity, and electrolyte conductivity.