Thermochemical energy storage in barium carbonate enhanced by iron(III) oxide.

Renewable energy requires cost effective and reliable storage to compete with fossil fuels. This study introduces a new reactive carbonate composite (RCC) where FeO is used to thermodynamically destabilise BaCO and reduce its decomposition temperature from 1400 °C to 850 °C, which is more suitable for thermal energy storage applications. FeO is consumed on heating to form BaFeO, which is a stable Fe source for promoting reversible CO reactions.