Recent research and development of clean energy have become essential due to the global climate change problem, which is caused largely by fossil fuels burning. Therefore, biodiesel, a renewable and ecofriendly biofuel with less environmental impact than diesel, continues expanding worldwide. The process for biodiesel production involves a significant energy demand, specifically in the methanol recovery stage through a flash separator and a distillation column. Traditionally, the energy required for this process is supplied by fossil fuels. It represents an opportunity for the application of renewable energy. Hence, the current study presents a system of thermal energy storage modeled in TRNSYS® and supported by simulations performed in ASPEN PLUS®. The aim of this research was to supply solar energy for a methanol recovery stage in a biodiesel production process. The results highlighted that it is feasible to meet 91% of the energy demand with an array of 9 parabolic trough collectors. The array obtained from the simulation was 3 in series and 3 in parallel, with a total area of 118.8 m². It represents an energy saving of 70 MWh per year.

Orange peel waste has potential to be valorized from agro-industrial and food sectors to formulate products for personal hygiene and public health. This study presents the formulation of alcohol-based antibacterial gels incorporating essential oils extracted from Citrus sinensis orange peel waste and its sensory evaluation among 770 participants in a holistic approach. The orange essential oil, obtained via hydrodistillation, demonstrated a high limonene content of 96.5% by GC-MS. Antibacterial activity assessed by agar diffusion assays showed orange essential oil efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with inhibition zones of 25.9 mm and 23.62 mm, respectively. Two gel prototypes, GSA and GSB, were developed and sensorily evaluated. GSA was preferred for its superior appearance, spreadability, absorption, and smell, with 99% acceptability. Appearance and spread sensory parameters were the differentiators between both formulations according to user preferences. Thus, 93% of respondents are willing to use either GSA or GSB as a daily hygiene product over commercial ones. Although the gels exhibited reduced antibacterial activity relative to essential oil, with inhibition zones measuring 8.3 mm for E. coli and 9.0 mm for S. aureus, they retained satisfactory user acceptability. These findings support the use of citrus biowaste-derived essential oils in sustainable personal hygiene products.

The world’s energy matrix can be diversified with biodiesel from castor and jatropha oil. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess a conversion path for the valorization of castor and jatropha seeds. The results showed the maximum extraction of castor oil at 90 °C, 2 rpm, and 6 mm nozzle, achieving a yield of 36.97% and for jatropha oil at 100 °C, 1.5 rpm, and 10 mm nozzle, achieving a yield of 20.11%. The acid value and cloud point of castor and jatropha oil were 0.797 and 23.44 mg KOH/g, 10±1 °C and 12±0.55 °C, respectively; while the pour point was -3 °C for both. The acid value and cloud point for biodiesels ranged from 0.26-0.43 mg KOH/g, and -12.50-6.10 °C, respectively. The viscosity of oils and biodiesel ranged from 0.02-1.3 P. GC-MS indicated 66.38% of methyl ricinoleate in castor biodiesel and 31.64% of methyl oleate in jatropha biodiesel. The HHV for castor and jatropha biodiesel ranged from 32.37-40.25 MJ/kg.

La Legislación en energía Ambiental se regula con las acciones enfocadas en la generación de energías limpias y renovables, en la cual se determina su impacto en la degradación al medio ambiente. Por lo tanto, el propósito es determinar el nivel de conocimiento estudiantil en relación a su perfil de formación. El fin fue identificar la relación del aprendizaje en los temas de fundamento constitucional en torno a las energías limpias y renovables, regulaciones energéticas y ambientales, requisitos de permisos e infracciones de generación y transmisión de energías renovables y limpias. El estudio se llevó a cabo en la Facultad de Ingeniería, de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California con 21 estudiantes de la disciplina de Ingeniería en Energías Renovables. La investigación es de diseño no experimental de tipo cualitativo y se aplicó un análisis de estadística descriptiva con la técnica de correlación de Pearson con un nivel de significancia de 0,05, en el análisis de los datos se utilizó el paquete de cómputo Paquete Estadístico para las Ciencias Sociales. El resultado del análisis de la correlación son las variables de conocimiento de las leyes ambientales y energéticas contra el conocimiento de las autoridades en materia de energías renovables y meta aspiracional de generación de energía limpia y renovable. La discusión se aporta evidencia que los alumnos tienen un mejor conocimiento posterior al cursar la materia más de una vez en contra de aquellos que solo la aprobaron por primera ocasión en el grupo y en conclusión el estudio genero evidencia de la relación del conocimiento de los estudiantes en su evolución y la comprensión en la materia ambiental y energética del curso de noveno semestre y se demostró un mejor desempeño para el manejo de los contenidos por parte de los alumnos