The presence of microplastics in the environment has increased due to anthropogenic activities; it is estimated that 15 million kilograms of plastic waste accumulate in the ocean annually. Pollution permeates every inch of the ocean from microplastics in the food chain to plastic water bottles floating on the surface. This monolith of ocean pollution is made up of all kinds of marine debris and contains 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic, covering an area twice the size of Texas. The objective of this review is to show advances in the study of emerging problems, specifically in the presence of microplastics in water and soil and their potential effects on health. In addition, microplastics have synergy with residual contaminants that exist in the water such as textile waste, organic matter, pathogens, etc. This causes damage to aquatic organisms as it makes nutrient transfer more complex in many of these species. There is a report that estimates that liabilities related to plastic pollution will cost the industry 100,000 million dollars due to lawsuits for damages and losses, of which 20,000 million will occur in the United States. The study of the presence of microplastics in the environment can generate indicators of the current effect to generate public policies that try to control the growth of this pollutant in the environment. It is important to discuss all the routes of generation of microplastics, distribution, and cosmetics involved in fast fashion with glitter and to evaluate the physical, chemical, biological, and toxicological effects on the environment, proposing the path and future to be followed regarding this research topic.

Even today, there is no full understanding of the relationship between the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties and the behavior of the lubricating films formed in tribological systems. Most of the published scientific research measures and reports the overall values of friction and wear, but the information given via statistical signals in the tribological tests is, in general, dismissed, leaving a hole in the study of the dynamics of tribological systems. In this work, an experimental study of statistical friction data, coating characteristics, and tribological performance is carried out using a pin-on-disk tribometer to test some metallic samples coated with lubricant films under several experimental conditions. The results indicate that long deposition times at high deposition temperatures of coatings from engine oil develop low-friction intervals, which fall until 20% of the uncoated coefficient friction. However, an unexpected and unfavorable behavior of the coatings was observed for the short deposition times and high temperature. In these conditions, the developed friction profiles reached a maximum level of friction that was 20% more than the uncoated coefficient friction. Moreover, it was found that the proper analysis and interpretation of the statistical data, in combination with the characterization of the coatings, describes the dynamics of the interactions between the bodies in contact and reveals the transitions of the surfaces with non-homogeneous properties throughout their depth.

This study presents a comparative analysis of batch and continuous lubricant supply strategies in internal combustion engines (ICEs), focusing on precursor consumption and material efficiency. A phenomenological model based on mass balance equations was developed to describe the dynamics of lubricant precursor depletion, film formation, and film removal under both supply strategies. The results demonstrate that the continuous supply strategy achieves a steady-state condition that ensures stable film thickness and a significant reduction in precursor consumption compared with the batch strategy. Sensitivity analyses reveal that both the kinetic constant and the film removal rate strongly influence lubricant make-up requirements, defining a feasibility region for system operation. Under supercritical conditions, the batch strategy exhibits rapid precursor overconsumption; in contrast, the continuous strategy maintains minimal excess. The proposed framework provides a system-level tool for evaluating lubrication strategies based on precursor utilization efficiency. The findings suggest that continuous lubrication strategies can improve material efficiency and environmental performance, with associated economic benefits, when properly designed and operated within feasible kinetic and mechanical limits.

This study presents a comparative analysis of the economics of batch and continuous lubricant supply process strategies in internal combustion engines (ICEs). A phenomenological model based on mass balance equations was developed to describe the dynamics of lubricant precursor depletion, film formation, and film removal under both supply strategies. The results demonstrate that the continuous supply system achieves a steady-state condition that ensures stable film thickness and a significant reduction in lubricant consumption compared with the batch strategy. Sensitivity analyses reveal that both the kinetic constant and the film removal rate strongly influence lubricant make-up requirements, defining a feasibility region for process operation. Under supercritical conditions, the batch strategy exhibits rapid precursor overconsumption; in contrast, the continuous strategy maintains minimal excess. The findings suggest that continuous lubrication process strategy can substantially improve economic and environmental performance in ICEs when properly designed and operated within feasible kinetic and mechanical limits.