A current concern is the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, mainly CO₂, with anthropogenic sources being the main contributors. Microalgae have greater capacity than terrestrial plants to capture CO₂, with this being an attraction for using them as capture systems. This study aims at the techno-economic evaluation of microalgae biomass production, while only considering technologies with industrial scaling potential. Energy consumption and operating costs are considered as parameters for the evaluation. In addition, the capture of CO₂ from a thermoelectric plant is analyzed, as a carbon source for the cultivation of microalgae. 24 scenarios were evaluated while using process simulation tools (SuperPro Designer), being generated by the combination of cultivations in raceway pond, primary harvest with three types of flocculants, secondary harvest with centrifugation and three filtering technologies, and finally the drying evaluated with Spray and Drum Dryer. Low biomass productivity, 12.7 g/m²/day, was considered, achieving a capture of 102.13 tons of CO₂/year in 1 ha for the cultivation area. The scenarios that included centrifugation and vacuum filtration are the ones with the highest energy consumption. The operating costs range from US $ 4.75–6.55/kg of dry biomass. The choice of the best scenario depends on the final use of biomass.

Microalgae have a high capacity to capture CO₂. Additionally, biomass contains lipids that can be used to produce biofuels, biolubricants, and other compounds of commercial interest. This study analyzed various scenarios for microalgae lipid production by simulation. These scenarios include cultivation in raceway ponds, primary harvest with three flocculants, secondary harvest with pressure filter (and drying if necessary), and three different technologies for the cell disruption step, which facilitates lipid extraction. The impact on energy consumption and production cost was analyzed. Both energy consumption and operating cost are higher in the scenarios that consider bead milling (8.79–8.88 kWh/kg and USD 41.06–41.41/kg), followed by those that consider high-pressure homogenization (HPH, 5.39–5.46 kWh/kg and USD 34.26–34.71/kg). For the scenarios that consider pressing, the energy consumption is 5.80–5.88 kWh/kg and the operating cost is USD 27.27–27.88/kg. The consumption of CO₂ in scenarios that consider pressing have a greater capture (11.23 kg of CO₂/kg of lipids). Meanwhile, scenarios that consider HPH are the lowest consumers of fresh water (5.3 m³ of water/kg of lipids). This study allowed us to develop a base of multiple comparative scenarios, evaluate different aspects involved in Chlorella vulgaris lipid production, and determine the impact of various technologies in the cell disruption stage.

The cultivation of microalgae has become a viable option to mitigate increase in CO₂ in the atmosphere generated by industrial activities since they can capture CO₂ as a carbon source for growth. Besides, they produce significant amounts of oils, carbohydrates, proteins, and other compounds of economic interest. There are several investigations related to the process, however, there is still no optimal scenario, since may depend on the final use of the biomass. The objective of this work was to develop a techno-economic evaluation of various technologies in harvesting and drying stages. The techno-economic estimation of these technologies provides a variety of production scenarios. Photobioreactors were used considering 1 ha as a cultivation area and a biomass production of 22.66 g/m²/day and a CO₂ capture of 148.4 tons/ha/year was estimated. The production scenarios considered in this study have high energy demand and high operating costs (12.09–12.51 kWh/kg and US $210.05–214.59/kg). These results are mainly a consequence of the use of tubular photobioreactors as a biomass culture system. However, the use of photobioreactors in the production of microalgal biomass allows it to be obtained in optimal conditions for its use in the food or pharmaceutical industry.

The biomass of microalgae and the compounds that can be obtained from their processing are of great interest for various economic sectors. Chlorophyll from green microalgae has biotechnological applications of great potential in different industrial areas such as food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agriculture. In this paper, the experimental, technical and economic performance of biomass production from a microalgal consortium (Scenedesmus sp., Chlorella sp., Schroderia sp., Spirulina sp., Pediastrum sp., and Chlamydomonas sp.) was investigated in three cultivation systems (phototrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic) in combination with the extraction of chlorophyll (a and b) on a large scale using simulation; 1 ha was established as the area for cultivation. In the laboratory-scale experimental stage, biomass and chlorophyll concentrations were determined for 12 days. In the simulation stage, two retention times in the photobioreactor were considered, which generated six case studies for the culture stage. Subsequently, a simulation proposal for the chlorophyll extraction process was evaluated. The highest microalgae biomass concentration was 2.06 g/L in heterotrophic culture, followed by mixotrophic (1.98 g/L). Phototrophic and mixotrophic cultures showed the highest chlorophyll concentrations of 20.5 µg/mL and 13.5 µg/mL, respectively. The simulation shows that higher biomass and chlorophyll production is attained when using the mixotrophic culture with 72 h of retention that we considered to evaluate chlorophyll production (a and b). The operating cost of the entire process is very high; the cultivation stage has the highest operating cost (78%), mainly due to the high energy consumption of the photobioreactors.

The growing demand for innovative solutions to accurately measure variables in dewatering processes has driven the development of advanced technologies. This study focuses on the evaluation of a measurement system in a rotary dryer used to dehydrate carrots at an operating temperature of 70 °C. The system uses the Arduino platform, strain gauges, and LM35 temperature sensors. Experimental tests were designed to evaluate the performance of the dryer, using initial quantities of carrots of 1.5 kg, 1.0 kg, and 0.5 kg. The novelty of this study lies in the application of fuzzy logic for signal conditioning in real time, in order to improve the precision of measurements, designed in MATLAB (version 9.5) and programmed in Arduino. The dryer reduces the water content of the product to a final average of 10%. The research offers a novel solution for the integration of an intelligent measurement system that optimizes dewatering efficiency. The manuscript is organized as follows: in the methodology section, the design of the measurement system is described; subsequently, the experimental results and the analysis of the dryer efficiency are presented, and finally, in the conclusions, the implications of the system and its possible applications in other processes are discussed.

Latin America faces growing challenges in the management of municipal solid waste (MSW). This is particularly evident in medium-sized and metropolitan cities where rapid urbanization, limited infrastructure, and high proportions of organic waste (40–70%) converge. This review synthesizes the most recent advances in organic waste management, valorization strategies, environmental performance, and policy frameworks in Mexico and Latin America. To provide a comprehensive overview, evidence from studies on informal recycling systems, route optimization, sustainable landfill siting, food waste valorization, life cycle assessments (LCAs), and biogas production is integrated. Techno-economic analyses of energy recovery from organic fractions are specifically reviewed. This review highlights that valorization of organic waste through composting, anaerobic digestion, food supplementation, and bioproduct generation can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40–70% compared to landfilling, with AD–composting hybrids achieving the highest reductions of 60–70%. Community composting achieved moderate reductions, 30–50%, but at significantly lower cost and with greater social co-benefits. These alternatives for valorizing the organic fraction extend the lifespan of both confined and open landfills. It also contributes to mitigating the public health impacts related to open dumping, disease vectors, and contaminated leachate. In short, this review also highlights shortcomings in policy coherence, financial mechanisms, source separation, and technology adoption. A strategic framework is proposed that prioritizes decentralized treatment systems, the integration of informal recyclers, tax incentives, community-based waste separation, and planning based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The findings point to a viable strategy for transitioning from landfill dependency to circular waste management systems that improve the quality of life for the population of Latin America and the Caribbean.