Green design and manufacturing strategies are necessary to cope with the current resource, energy, and environmental problems of the manufacturing industry. To meet various enterprises’ needs for green design and manufacturing, colleges and universities should integrate these concepts into their curricula. This study discusses the application of green strategies in the mechanical engineering field from the viewpoints of teaching, scientific research, and practical education. Based on its development and a basic connotation analysis, this study highlights the challenges and urgency of incorporating green concepts into teaching and research modules of mechanical engineering, as well as methods and implementation strategies to incorporate them in professional curricula using teaching method reform and the teaching and research integration method. An experimental training course of advanced manufacturing processes at the authors’ institution was amended to emphasize the integrated application of green design and manufacturing. This integration not only enriches the field of mechanical engineering but also provides scientific research directions and methods to educators, along with new ideas to imbibe students with mechanical talents for their technical development. These efforts lay the foundation for the sustainable development of China’s manufacturing industry.

The shortage of water resources has always been one of the most difficult problems that perplexes humanity. Solar steam generation (SSG) has been a new non-polluting and low-cost water purification method in recent years. However, the high cost of traditional photothermal conversion materials and the low efficiency of photothermal conversion has restricted the large-scale application of SSG technology. In this work, composite materials with Fe₃O₄ nanospheres attached to MoS₂ nanosheets were synthesized, which increased the absorbance and specific surface area of the composite materials, reduced the sunlight reflection, and increased the photothermal conversion efficiency. During the experiment, the composite material was evenly coated on cotton. The strong water absorption of cotton ensured that the water could be transported sufficiently to the surface for evaporation. Under one sun irradiation intensity, the evaporation rate of the sample synthesized in this work reached 1.42 kg m⁻² h⁻¹; the evaporation efficiency is 89.18%. In addition, the surface temperature of the sample can reach 41.6 °C, which has far exceeded most photothermal conversion materials. Furthermore, the use of this composite material as an SSG device for seawater desalination and sewage purification can remove more than 98% of salt ions in seawater, and the removal rate of heavy metal ions in sewage is close to 100%, with a good seawater desalination capacity and sewage purification capacity. This work provides a new idea for the application of composite materials in the field of seawater desalination and sewage purification.

Solar-driven interface water evaporation is an energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and efficient seawater desalination and wastewater treatment technology. However, some challenges still restrict its further industrial development, such as its complex preparation, heavy metal pollution, and insufficient energy utilization. In this study, a photothermal layer based on flower-shaped carbon nanoparticles is presented for highly efficient solar-driven interface evaporation for water treatment applications. The results show that the surface of the prepared carbon nanomaterials presents a flower-shaped structure with an excellent light absorption capacity and a large specific surface area. Moreover, the C-5.4 (Carbon-5.4) sample has an evaporation rate of 1.87 kg/m²/h and an evaporation efficiency of 87%—far higher than most photothermal materials. In addition, carbon nanomaterials have an excellent ion scavenging capacity, dye purification capacity, and outdoor practical performance. This study provides a new solution for the application of carbon nanomaterials in the field of water purification.

The present study explores the physical-mechanical and tribological properties of hybrid wood fiber and rockwool-reinforced asbestos-free resin-based friction materials. We developed asbestos-free brake friction composites with different contents of hybrid fiber (wood and rockwool fiber) at a total fixed fiber loading of 30%. Then, the developed composites were investigated on the physical, mechanical, and tribological properties according to the industry standards. The results show that, with the increase in wood fiber, the density, hardness, and strength decrease, and the water absorption increases. Meanwhile, rockwool fiber can improve the coefficient of friction and enhance friction stability, while wood fiber has a significant impact on wear resistance. The sample with 5% wood fiber and 25% rockwool fiber presented the best performance in terms of the coefficients of friction, wear rate, and fade–recovery behavior. It provides a new idea for the research of asbestos-free composites.

For investigating the effect of mullite as a reinforced fiber of the non-asbestos brake friction material on the performance of brake pads, mullite reinforced composites with different contents (5% and 10%) and shapes (powder-based and fiber-based) were developed, and the physical and mechanical properties of the composites were analyzed. The tribological properties of the composites were tested by a Chase tester followed by the IS-2742 standard, and the worn surface was investigated by three-dimensional surface topography and SEM. The results show that the brake friction material with 5% powdered mullite performs best, having the highest stable friction performance (0.86), the lowest wear rate (3%), the lowest friction variation performance (0.263), and the best fade-recovery performance. With the increase of mullite content, the friction variation, wear resistance, and friction stability of the composites become worse. Meanwhile, the performance of powder-based mullite composites is better than that of fiber-based. The worn surface analysis shows that the fiber-based mullite composite has a higher surface roughness, fewer contact platforms, more wear debris, and peeling pits. In contrast, the powder-based mullite composites have a better surface performance. It provides a practical basis for mullite-reinforced non-asbestos brake friction materials.