The present work reports the results of a systematic study on the evolution of the morphological properties of porous carbons derived from coffee waste using a one-pot potassium-hydroxide-assisted process at temperatures in the range of 400–900 °C. Raw materials and obtained carbons were studied by TG, DTG, SEM and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry. The decomposition temperature ranges for hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin as the main component of the feedstock have been established. It is shown that the proposed method for the thermochemical treatment of coffee waste makes it possible to obtain activated carbon with a controllable pore size distribution and a high specific surface area (up to 1050 m²/g). A comparative study of the evolution of the distribution of pore size, pore area and pore volume has been carried out based on the BJH and NL-DFT (slit-like pores approximation) methods. The fractal dimension of the obtained carbons has been calculated by Frenkel–Halsey–Hill method for single-layer and multilayer adsorptions.

The unit pressure in the fine-grained material consolidation process in the roller press can reach over hundred MPa and is a parameter which results, among other things, from the properties of the consolidated material and the compaction unit geometry. Its value changes depending on the place on the molding surface. Generating different pressure on the surface of briquettes makes their compaction different. One’s own and other researchers’ experience shows that, in the case of exerting high pressure on the merged fine-grained material, the higher unit pressure exerted on the material, the higher temperature of the consolidated material is. The temperature distribution on the surface of the briquettes can testify the locally exerted pressure on the briquette. The stress distribution in the briquetting material is still a subject of research. The article includes thermography studies of the briquetting process of four material mixtures. Thermal images of briquettes were taken immediately after they left the compaction zone as well as forming rollers. The obtained thermograms and temperature variability at characteristic points of the surface of briquettes were analyzed. The correlation between the temperature distribution and the stress distribution in the briquettes was determined.

The prospects of using biopolymer nano-containing films for wound healing were substantiated. The main components of biopolymer composites are gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, glycerin, lactic acid, distilled water, and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs). Biopolymer composites were produced according to various technological parameters using a mould with a chrome coating. The therapeutic properties of biopolymer films were evaluated by measuring the diameter of the protective effect. Physico-mechanical properties were studied: elasticity, vapour permeability, degradation time, and swelling. To study the influence of technological parameters of the formation process of therapeutic biopolymer nanofilled films on their therapeutic and physico-mechanical properties, the planning of the experiment was used. According to the results of the experiments, mathematical models of the second-order were built. The optimal values of technological parameters of the process are determined, which provide biopolymer nanofilled films with maximum healing ability (diameter of protective action) and sufficiently high physical and mechanical properties: elasticity, vapour permeability, degradation time and swelling. The research results showed that the healing properties of biopolymer films mainly depend on the content of ZnO NPs. Degradation of these biopolymer films provides dosed drug delivery to the affected area. The products of destruction are carbon dioxide, water, and a small amount of ZnO in the bound state, which indicates the environmental safety of the developed biopolymer film.

When the briquetting process of fine-grained material takes place in the roller press unit, the pressure reached is over a hundred megapascals. This parameter is a result, among other factors, of the geometry of a compaction unit and also the properties of the consolidated material. The pressure of the unit is not constant and the changes in value depend on a given place on the molding surface. By the process of generating different types of pressure on the surface of briquettes, their compaction is different as well. The distribution of temperature on the surface of the briquettes may determine the pressure used locally on them. Nevertheless, the distribution of stress in the briquetting material is still a subject of scientific study. However, it is known that the pressure exerted on the briquette is different for different compaction systems. The article includes authors’ further thermography studies on the classical pillow-shaped briquetting process (instead of the saddle-shaped ones that were previously conducted) of four materials (calcium hydroxide and water mixture, mill scale, charcoal fines and starch mixture, as well as a mixture of EAFD, scale, fine coke breeze, molasses, and calcium hydroxide). Immediately after the briquettes left the compaction zone, thermal images were taken of them, as well as forming rollers. Thermograms that were obtained and the variability of temperature at characteristic points of the surface of pillow-shaped briquettes were analyzed. They showed differences in temperature on the surface of briquettes. In all four cases, the highest briquette temperatures were recorded in their upper part, which proves their better densification in this part. The temperature differences between the lower and upper part of the briquettes ranged from 1.8 to 9.7 °C, depending on the mixture.

The unit compacting pressure in the fine-grained material consolidation process in the roller press can reach >100 MPa and is a parameter that results, among other things, from the properties of the consolidated material and the compaction unit geometry. Achieving the right pressure during briquetting is one of the factors that guarantee the proper consolidation and quality of briquettes. The distribution of the temperature on the surface of the briquettes correlates with locally exerted pressure. The present work aimed to analyse the briquetting process of four fine-grained materials in a roller press equipped with saddle-shaped briquette-forming rollers based on images obtained from the thermography conducted immediately after their consolidation. The tests were carried out in a roller press that was equipped with forming rollers of 450-mm diameter and having a cavity with a volume of 4 cm ³ , as described by patent PL 222229 B1. Two mixtures of hydrated lime with 9.1 wt% and 13.0 wt% water, a mixture of scale and a mixture of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust were used for the tests. In most mixtures, the highest temperatures were achieved in the middle-upper part of the briquettes. The briquettes from the EAF dust mixture heated locally the most on the surface up to 37.7 °C. The difference between the maximum briquette temperature and the ambient temperature was 20.2 °C.

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have been gaining popularity in recent years due to patent releases – and in effect – better accessibility of the technology. One of the most popular AM technologies is fused deposition modeling (FDM), which is used to manufacture products out of thermoplastic polymers in a layer-by-layer manner. Due to the specificity of the method, parts manufactured in this manner tend to have non-isotropic properties. One of the factors influencing the part’s mechanical behavior and quality is the thermoplastic material’s bonding mechanism correlated with the processing temperature, as well as thermal shrinkage during processing. In this research, the authors verified the suitability of finite element method (FEM) analysis for determining PET-G thermal evolution during the process, by creating a layer transient heat transfer model, and comparing the obtained modelling results with ones registered during a real-time process recorded with a FLIR T1020 thermal imaging camera. Our model is a valuable resource for providing thermal conditions in existing numerical models that connect heat transfer, mesostructure and AM product strength, especially when experimental data is lacking. The FE model presented reached a maximum sample-specific error of 11.3%, while the arithmetic mean percentage error for all samples and layer heights is equal to 4.3%, which the authors consider satisfactory. Model-to-experiment error is partially caused by glass transition of the material, which can be observed on the experimental cooling rate curve after processing the temperature signal.