The drying kinetics and physical and chemical characteristics of Leucaena esculenta seed drying using a forced convection solar dryer are described. The drying kinetics behavior is examined for three experiments under climate conditions of three different winter days in central Mexico, observing significant effects related to the reported pH levels of the seeds with values of 6.34, 5.98, 5.97, 5.82, and 6.07. The airflow measurements inside the drying chamber were observed, including the geometric dimensions, color, appearance, weight, and moisture loss, and the effective diffusivity coefficient $\left(D_{eff}\right)$ of Leucaena esculenta with values between 1.23 × 10⁻⁷ and 8.09 × 10⁻⁹ ${\displaystyle \frac{{\mathrm{m}}^2}{\mathrm{s}}}$. Solar drying, with the technology used in this study, is a viable alternative to give added value to Leucaena esculenta. This study can be the basis for developing alternatives to preserve seeds for animal and human consumption.

Biocompatible coatings are widely employed in dental applications to enhance the biofunctionality of metallic implants exposed to the aggressive oral environment. Among them, hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based and carbide-reinforced coatings have been explored due to their favorable mechanical and biological performance. In this study, Cr₃C_-20(Ni20Cr)-20HAp-XSi coatings were deposited using the high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) technique. The coatings were applied onto commercially pure titanium substrates, with the silicon content varied between X = 0, 5, 10, and 20 wt%. To evaluate the coatings’ corrosion resistance, electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization curves, linear polarization resistance (LPR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and open circuit potential (OCP) were employed. Artificial saliva was used as the corrosive medium at 37 °C for 168 h. The feasibility of producing carbide-HAp-Si coatings with excellent corrosion resistance and cytocompatibility via HVOF was demonstrated here, although some of the tested coatings (20 wt% Si) showed reduced electrochemical stability, attributed to faster dissolution processes and associated with a thinner coating layer, as confirmed by SEM analyses. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed the formation of new phases in the coatings during thermal spraying, including Cr₂O₃ and Cr₇C₃. Additionally, MTT assays using 3T3-L1 fibroblasts showed no significant cytotoxic effects after 24 and 72 h of exposure to some of the coatings, confirming their biocompatibility for potential dental applications.

The deployment of various technologies to mitigate climate change is crucial for developing techniques that advance climate action. Climate change is exacerbated by rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, deforestation, and the use of fossil fuels. Urgent measures are needed to enhance CO2 capture efficiency, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate action initiatives. This study investigates the influence of temperature variations in a packed absorption column on CO2 capture efficiency. By employing Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 principles, it facilitates precise data acquisition to monitor temperature fluctuations during experiments. Comparative evaluations under steady-state and saturation conditions provide critical insights for optimizing CO2 capture in post-combustion processes. Conducting exploratory analyses enhances system understanding and informs design and operational strategies for effective and sustainable CO2 capture. This research delves into the technical aspects of temperature optimization, emphasizing its significance for sustainable practices and the urgency of addressing climate change through innovative, technology-driven solutions.

Amorphous metallic materials have emerged as a promising class of functional materials for energy storage and conversion owing to their disordered atomic structure and unique interfacial properties. This review focuses on amorphous metals and alloys, including metallic glasses and high-entropy amorphous systems, with particular emphasis on their surface- and interface-driven behavior in electrochemical environments. This review analyzes how structural disorder influences key properties such as electronic structure, ion transport, catalytic activity, and mechanical compliance and how these factors govern performance in batteries, supercapacitors, electrolyzers, and fuel cells. Special attention is given to interfacial phenomena, including charge-transfer kinetics, corrosion and passivation processes, and structural evolution during long-term operation. In addition, recent advances in fabrication strategies such as rapid solidification, thin-film deposition, mechanical alloying, thermoplastic forming, and electrodeposition are discussed in relation to their ability to tailor amorphous structures and interfaces. This review also highlights critical failure mechanisms and discusses some strategies to mitigate these effects. Overall, this work provides a focused perspective on the role of amorphous metallic surfaces and interfaces in electrochemical systems, identifying current challenges in scalability, durability, and compositional control, and outlining future directions for their integration into next-generation energy technologies.

El presente trabajo muestra el desarrollo de un sistema de control, monitoreo y adquisición de datos (temperatura y flujo volumétrico) de la transferencia de energía en un Intercambiador de Calor de Tubos Concéntricos (ICTC), enfocado en la industria 4.0 (IoT). El sistema integra una Interfaz Gráfica de Usuario (GUI) que permite el monitoreo y adquisición de las variables en tiempo real, así como el control operativo de manera precisa. Esta interfaz facilita una interacción intuitiva con el sistema, mejorando la eficiencia operativa del equipo y reduciendo el control manual. El sistema tiene el propósito académico de proporcionar a los estudiantes del Laboratorio de Operaciones Unitarias (LOU), la oportunidad de operar y analizar el comportamiento del equipo y transferencia de energía en tiempo real.

Post-combustion CO₂ capture is one alternative that allows thermoelectric power plants to continue generating electricity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Most reported pilot plants operate with a 30% wt. MEA solution and superheated steam to regenerate it. However, the development of post-combustion CO₂ capture requires experimental studies with MEA dilutions below 30% wt. MEA to analyze new regeneration absorption concentrations. The laboratory-scale post-combustion CO₂ capture process is described, with a focus on the study of the desorption process. The absorbent solutions are saturated in the packed absorption column prior to desorption tests. The samples are desorbed in the packed desorption column, controlling and monitoring the process variables. The results of this work show that the technology can operate with dilute MEA solutions (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30% wt. MEA) absorbing CO₂ from a gas mixture at 12.5% vol., representing a typical CO₂ concentration emitted by coal-fired power plants, and at 3 and 5% vol., representing the typical CO₂ concentration range emitted by combined-cycle power plants. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the MEA solution can be regenerated using saturated steam (94 °C and 0.8 atm). The concentrations of the regenerated solutions were evaluated by measuring the refractive indices, and the regeneration was validated with experimental absorption tests.