Biomass-derived porous carbons support in phase change materials for building energy efficiency: a review Tengyao Jiang a, b , Yali Zhang b , Saheed Olayiwola b , ChooiKim Lau b , Maohong Fan c , Kam Ng b, ** , Gang Tan b, * a School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211816, China b Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, University of Wyoming,1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA c Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Wyoming,1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA article info Article history: Received 25 September 2021 Received in revised form 13 November 2021 Accepted 15 November 2021 Available online 22 November 2021 Keywords: Thermal energy storage Biomass resource Energy efficient SSPCM abstract Phase change materials have been used in buildings as effective latent energy storage elements because of their remarkable capability of storing thermal energy and thus have attracted great attention to ameliorate severe environmental issues caused by greenhouse gas emissions. However, the drawbacks of phase change materials such as leakage during solideliquid phase transition process and poor thermal conductivity restrain their further development. This review paper summarizes the recent research progress in the design and synthesis of shape-stabilized phase change materials using biomass-derived porous carbons as solid supports. These carbon supports from waste resources exhibit unique features, including renewable, cost-effective, considerable thermal transfer ability, and diverse microstructures that are inherited from biomass. The applications of shape-stabilized phase change materials with composites developed from biomass in active and passive building systems are reviewed. This review concludes that employment of shape-stabilized phase change material in buildings would contribute to a reduced indoor air temperature fluctuation, improved thermal performance, and enhanced building energy efficiency. This review also provides valuable insights and promising perspectives for potential research and development of phase change materials from renewable feedstocks focused on applications in building and construction industry. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The global energy demand was expected to rise from 524 quadrillion BTUs in 2010 to 820 quadrillion BTUs in 2040 [1]. It is predicted that more than 76% of the global energy consumption will be provided by conventional energy sources in 2040, in spite of the predicted continuing growth of other renewable energy sources [2]. The building sector, occupying more than 40% of total primary energy in the United States and European Union, contributes largely to total energy consumptions. Among all the energy con- sumption in building sector, heating and cooling energy con- sumptions account for large shares [3,4]. The building energy usage associates greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and results in severe environmental problems, such as global warming and climate change [3]. International Energy Agency es- timates that building sector in the United States produces about 30% of total CO 2 emissions [4]. As a consequence, there are urgent needs of improving energy efficiency of commercial and residential buildings to further optimize energy usage and reduce CO 2 emis- sion at global perspectives. Thermal energy storage (TES) is considered as an applicable and reliable technology for improving building energy efficiency. In particular, latent heat TES (LHTES) has been vastly developed because of its unique thermal property, including high storage ca- pacity and minor temperature fluctuation in the energy capturingereleasing cycle. Phase change material (PCM) is a widely used LHTES material that can be applied to building energy efficiency through reducing peak heating and cooling loads and thus bringing down total energy consumptions [3,5]. The solideliquid PCM stores energy at melting and releases energy at solidification, in which the phase change temperature is generally named as the phase * Corresponding author. ** Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: kng1@uwyo.edu (K. Ng), gtan@uwyo.edu (G. Tan). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Today Energy journal homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/materials-today-energy/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtener.2021.100905 2468-6069/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Materials Today Energy 23 (2022) 100905