According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world population will reach nine billion people in 2050, of which 75% will live in urban settlements. One of the biggest challenges will be meeting the demand for food, as farmland is being lost to climate change, water scarcity, soil pollution, among other factors. In this context, hydroponics, an agricultural method that dispenses with soil, provides a viable alternative to address this problem. Although hydroponics has proven its effectiveness on a large scale, there are still challenges in implementing this technique on a small scale, specifically in urban and suburban settings. Also, in rural communities, where the availability of suitable technologies is scarce. Paradigms such as the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, promote Precision Agriculture on a small scale, allowing the control of variables such as pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, among others, resulting in higher production and resource savings.

A hydrodynamic study of aluminum degassing by the rotating impeller technique was developed through experimental measurements obtained in a water physical model stirred with different impellers and air injection. The purpose of the work was to better understand degassing operation in molten aluminum through the analysis of the hydrodynamics of the system. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was employed to measure flow patterns and turbulence characteristics of the ladle as a function of process and design variables, such as: a) impeller rotating speed (536 and 800 rpm), b) air flow rate (3 liters/min and 0 l/min), c) geometric design of the different impellers (impeller “A” made of a solid disc, impeller “B” with lateral nozzles and an impeller “C” with notches), where impellers “B” and “C” represent commercial designs. Impellers “B” and “C” presented similar flow behavior, with radial projection and pumping effect, while impeller “A” developed different flow patterns. By increasing the angular speed and the complexity of the impeller, stirring and turbulence increased through the entire ladle, while the vortex intensity grew. Gas injection modified the liquid flow patterns reducing the magnitude of the velocity in the liquid, and significantly increasing turbulence in the ladle.