The incorporation of biomaterials into concrete for engineering applications has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential to enhance both the mechanical properties and sustainability of construction materials. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis (BA) to examine the state of the research on utilizing biomaterials in concrete through the analysis of scientific production considering the information in the Scopus database. The BA provides insights into this interdisciplinary field’s evolution, trends, and global research landscape. Key aspects explored include the types of biomaterials employed, their impacts on concrete properties, and the environmental benefits associated with their masonry use. R-Software was used to analyze the scientific growth and topics (BA) in the field of biomaterials in concrete for industrial applications. The results exposed that biomaterials in concrete related to scientific production represent a total amount of 1558 documents published by 489 journals and 4521 authors, which represents an annual rate of 20.81% higher than other related topics, with India, the United Kingdom, and China being the most representative countries. Finally, this work exposes the growing interest in sustainable construction practices and the promising future of biomaterial-infused concrete in the engineering sector, seeking to advance the knowledge and application of biomaterials in concrete technology.

The construction industry is a major contributor to environmental pollution, with cement production only accounting for nearly 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Sustainable alternatives, such as bio-bricks incorporating agricultural waste, offer a promising solution to reduce emissions. This study investigates the development and optimization of bio-bricks using lignin as reinforcement in cementitious composites. A mixture design approach was applied to determine optimal proportions of cement, lignin, and bovine excreta, enhancing mechanical properties such as compressive and flexural strength while promoting sustainability. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to model the effects of mixture components, revealing that a blend of 959 g of cement, 224 g of lignin, and 314 g of bovine excreta resulted in the best performance. Compressive strength reached ~1.7 MPa, demonstrating the composition viability for eco-friendly construction. The study highlights the bio-brick’s potential to mitigate the environmental impact by reducing reliance on traditional cement while integrating renewable materials.

This document describes technical concepts and terms related to landslide risk on slopes and hillsides, from a comprehensive approach. A general methodology is presented for the risk analysis and assessment according to the threat, given by the interrelation susceptibility - probability of landslide occurrence; and the vulnerability of the exposed elements, obtained from a multifactorial analysis that considers physical and social aspects. Susceptibility is obtained considering various conditioning and triggering factors of instability and the probability of event occurrence is estimated from deterministic methods. The vulnerability analysis is done considering the spatial and temporal components of the potential events, as well as the impact that these could have on the exposed elements, in terms of social and material losses. This methodology is applied to the study of an urban slope in the city of Tijuana, Mexico.

La detección adecuada de plagas y enfermedades en la producción de cultivos es fundamental para aumentar la producción agrícola de forma sostenible. Es por esta razón, que se incorpora el término Agricultura 4.0, la cual integra un conjunto de tecnologías, dispositivos, protocolos y paradigmas computacionales para mejorar los procesos agrícolas. La información sobre las condiciones climáticas, suelos, enfermedades, insectos, semillas, fertilizantes, constituye una importante contribución al desarrollo económico y sostenible de este sector. Las técnicas de procesamiento digital de imágenes son una herramienta que permite la identificación temprana de las plagas o enfermedades en los cultivos como: cereales, frutales, raíces, hojas y tubérculos; y de esta forma, mitigar pérdidas económicas en el sector agrícola. A nivel mundial, alrededor del 40% de los cultivos son desechados por diversas enfermedades y plagas. En la mayoría de los casos, las enfermedades de los cultivos producen síntomas y características visibles durante el crecimiento de las plantas. Debido a la escasez de tecnologías utilizadas en los cultivos, el diagnóstico de las enfermedades y plagas se soporta en gran parte en la inspección humana, generando errores ocasionados por la subjetividad de los individuos. La presente revisión de literatura se llevó a cabo con la finalidad de identificar diferentes técnicas de procesamiento digital de imágenes para la prevención de plagas y enfermedades en cultivos de los diferentes sectores agrícolas. Los resultados demostraron que el sistema de diagnóstico está compuesto de la adquisición de imágenes, preprocesamiento de imágenes, la segmentación, la extracción de características, la selección de características y la posterior clasificación de las plagas o enfermedades; asimismo, se presentan las tendencias y desafíos actuales en la temática.

This study aims to develop a sustainable masonry product (light brick) for construction with improved physical and mechanical properties. In the eco-brick manufacture, raw materials such as cow dung and coffee stem were used, crushed, and joined with a binder material such as general-purpose cement to increase the mechanical resistance of the eco-brick. During the eco-brick manufacturing process, the cow dung is dried, exposed to the sun for two days, and mixed with hydrated lime, the material by eliminating toxins and bad odors. The results showed that the eco-bricks presented a lower value in their compression resistance with additions of 2:1, 2:2, 2:3 with average resistance of 3.34, 3.70, and 4.5 MPa, respectively compared to the common brick (8.28 MPa), these values indicate a reduction in the compression resistance around two times compared with common brick. On the other hand, the eco-bricks did not present fractures after the compression test. In addition, the eco-brick densities correspond to medium type according to the literature. Finally, this research aid in promoting the rational use of available resources, applying Colombian standard procedures for elaborating masonry products, thus establishing those eco-materials can be used to construct sustainable homes due to their non-polluting in the manufacturing process.