Environmental and climate change issues are a consequence of human actions that, whether consciously or unconsciously, damage the environment. The main objective of this research is to develop an instrument to measure environmental awareness levels among citizens. The developed questionnaire consists of 34 items, adapted and grouped into four dimensions: affective, cognitive, conative, and active. The main distinction of this questionnaire from prior models is its aim to assess environmental awareness levels applicable to any citizen. The scale’s reliability is demonstrated by high internal consistency (α = 0.965 and Ω = 0.958). The key findings on scale performance are evident in the scale’s validity, supported by a confirmatory factor analysis that shows a KMO index of 0.981, a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (p < 0.01), and a matrix determinant below 0.001. The maximum likelihood model shows an adequate fit (p < 0.01) and identifies four factors, which together explain 70.134% of the total variance: the first factor contributes 53.075%, the second 12.097%, the third 2.962%, and the fourth 2%. An important finding is the instrument’s high consistency and robustness for evaluating environmental awareness in citizens, offering a reliable and specific tool for environmental studies in urban contexts.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the energy self-sufficiency of the tyre pyrolysis process using the pyrolysis gas produced as a heat source. Experimental data on the properties of the tyre and the main pyrolysis products (char, pyrolysis gas, and condensable vapours) have been compiled for a pyrolysis temperature range from 698 to 848 K. The laws of thermodynamics were used to calculate the energy demand of the tyre pyrolysis process, which was divided into heat for the pyrolysis reaction and heat transferred to the carrier gas. The pyrolysis gas was composed of 15 components, and its composition was calculated using a nonstoichiometric equilibrium model. For the temperature range studied, the heat required for the pyrolysis reaction was between 1.41 and 2.16 kJ/g of tyre. In addition, hydrocarbons (71 to 73 wt.%) were the major components in the calculated pyrolysis gas composition. An average lower heating value of 37.3 MJ/kg was calculated for the pyrolysis gas. The heat required for the tyre pyrolysis reaction was provided for burning 30–50% of the pyrolysis gas produced, thus making it self-sustaining. Energy self-sufficiency may not be achieved if the heat losses due to poor reactor insulation are high. However, this problem can be overcome by heating the combustion air using the heat released by the pyrolysis products during cooling.

Controlling oil well pressure during drilling is one of the most complex and hazardous processes in the exploration stage. The drilling system undergoes constant variations, influenced by factors such as drilling depth, which in turn affects other process parameters. Consequently, applying a time-invariant control strategy becomes impractical. This study aimed to identify the PID parameters necessary to regulate bottom-hole pressure during drilling across different operating depths, with the goal of maintaining system stability and robustness. To achieve this, the parameters were tested using a Gain Scheduling (GS) controller, which adjusted the control gains according to various operating points. In the first section, the development of a mathematical model of the process, based on fluid mechanics, is presented. Linearizing this model introduced an integrating element, which complicated the process dynamics. In the second section, we present the design of the controller using the Internal Model Control (IMC) tuning methodology to address the integration challenges. Finally, PID parameters for different drilling depths were obtained and integrated into the GS controller via Matlab Simulink. The controller’s performance was then evaluated through simulations of typical drilling issues, such as simulated disturbances, confirming its viability. The GS-controlled system was compared to a system using an adaptive controller, demonstrating superior performance in the former.

This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation into the stress field in cylinders manufactured from photosensitive resin using the Masked Stereolithography (MSLA) technique. For material characterization, tensile and bending test data from resin specimens were utilized. The stress field in resin disks was experimentally analyzed using photoelasticity and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) methods, subjected to compressive loads, according to the cylinder–plane contact model. Images were captured during the experiments using polarizing film and a low-cost CPL lens, coupled to a smartphone. The experimental results were compared with numerical and analytical simulations, where the formation of fringes and regions indicating the direction and magnitude of normal and shear stresses were observed, with variations ranging from 0.6% to 8.2%. The convergence of the results demonstrates the feasibility of using parts produced with commercially available photosensitive resin on non-professional printers for studying contact theory and stress fields. In the future, this methodology is intended to be applied to studies on stress in gears.

La situación energética y medioambiental global hace que los sistemas de generación de energía basados en energías renovables sean cada vez más importantes. Estos sistemas tienen una doble ventaja, ya que permiten la diversificación energética y reducen la dependencia del petróleo, al tiempo que se reducen las emisiones globales de CO2. La biomasa es una de las fuentes de energía más prometedoras en los países desarrollados y emergentes, pero aún no experimenta el desarrollo esperado. El sistema de gasificación de biomasa es un sistema con gran potencial, ya que permite la generación de energía tanto térmica como eléctrica, a través de tecnologías de bajo costo, como gasificadores de lecho fijo (potencia media-baja), o reactores de lecho. fluidizado con tecnología más exigente y más capacidad de generación. Transformar la biomasa en un combustible gaseoso, utilizable en motores de combustión interna convencionales o turbinas de gas como combustible, la biomasa requiere varios pasos por procesos termoquímicos compuestos de reacciones endotérmicas (secado, volatilización y reducción) y exotérmicas (oxidación y carbón volátil). En este trabajo se calcula la temperatura de la llama adiabática con el objetivo de obtener la materia prima que produce una mayor energía térmica, utilizando para nuestro caso cinco tipos de biomasa como son: Eucalyptus Globulus o Blue Eucalyptus, Cane Bagasse (subproducto de la industria azucarera), Cascara de Arroz, Sequoia Gigante (residual) y Álamo Negro, con mayor énfasis en este último por considerarse una buena alternativa por su aparentemente rápido crecimiento (aprox. 2 años). De esta forma, una comparación de la energía térmica producida por los cinco tipos de biomasa utilizados.