Articles publicats (Enginyeria Industrial i de l’Edificació)

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    Open Access
    Hybrid CFD and Monte Carlo-Driven Optimization Approach for Heat Sink Design
    (MDPI, 2025-05-27) Busqué, Raquel; Bossio, Matias; Fabregat, Raimon; Bonada, Francesc; Maicas, Héctor; Pijuan, Jordi; Brigido, Albert
    This study introduces a hybrid topology optimization methodology aimed at improving heat sink efficiency through a data-driven approach. The method integrates CFD simulations in Ansys Fluent with a Monte Carlo-driven optimization algorithm, modeling the design of a heat sink domain as a porous medium. Porosity is used as a design variable, iteratively adjusted in a binary manner to optimize fluid-solid distribution. Three design variants were evaluated, with the selected optimized configuration reaching a maximum temperature of 57.11 °C, compared to 46.15 °C for a baseline serpentine channel. Despite slightly higher peak temperature, the optimized design achieved a substantial reduction in pressure drop, up to 91.57%, translating into significantly lower pumping power requirements and thus lower energy consumption. Experimental validation, using physical prototypes of both the reference and optimized channels, confirmed strong agreement with simulation results, with average surface temperatures of 29.27 °C and 30.03 °C, respectively. These findings validate the accuracy of the simulation-based approach and highlight the potential of data-driven optimization in thermal management system designs.
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    Open Access
    Correction: Industrial waste heat estimation for the manufacturing industry in Chile
    (Springer, 2025) Fernández, Ángel G.; Soler, D.; Miró, Laia; Labidi, Arbia; Cabeza, Luisa F.
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    Open Access
    Industrial waste heat estimation for the manufacturing industry in Chile
    (Springer, 2024) Fernández, Ángel G.; Soler, D.; Miró, Laia; Labidi, Arbia; Cabeza, Luisa F.
    Chile is one of the countries with most growing industries worldwide due to their mining and manufacturing industries. Nevertheless, at the same time there is a lack on energy generation and processes efficiency. The objectives of this paper are to estimate the amount of available industrial waste heat derived from the manufacturing industry in Chile, to locate these heat sources geographically, to assess the best technologies to be used to take advantage of this heat, and finally, to estimate the environmental savings of its reuse. Results showed that the sectors with the highest potential for the use of residual heat are food and beverages with an average accumulated potential of 62.9 PJ, basic metals with 21.5 PJ, chemical products with 15.1 PJ, paper products with 10.8 PJ, and non-metallic minerals with 10.6 PJ. With these data, the energy generation in Chile could be more efficient as well as the industrial processes could save more energy, reducing costs and raw materials.
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    Open Access
    Sustainability Assessment of Hospital Wastewater Treatment Techniques: A Comprehensive Review
    (MDPI, 2025-06) Boutros, Marleine; Puig, Rita; Bartolí, Esther; El Bachawati, Makram
    Hospitals discharge wastewater containing toxic pollutants that pose risks to human health and the environment if not properly treated. Therefore, effective treatment techniques are essential. Although various reviews have explored hospital wastewater treatment (HWWT) methods, few have comprehensively assessed their sustainability—including technical, environmental, economic, and social aspects. This paper reviews the literature on these dimensions and identifies critical research gaps. Technically, the combination of biological and tertiary techniques can achieve removal efficiencies between 60% and 99% for emerging contaminants. Environmentally, electricity consumption is a major concern, ranging from 0.2 to 3 kWh/m3, depending on the technique. Economically, costs rise with energy-intensive methods; ultraviolet disinfection operates at 0.016 €/m3, while Fenton treatment reaches 23.38 €/m3. No dedicated social assessments exist for HWWT; therefore, municipal wastewater studies were used as references. This paper proposes public health-related social indicators tailored for HWWT. Two key research gaps are identified: the lack of integrated sustainability and social assessments and limited comparability across studies. This review adapts the life cycle sustainability assessment framework to HWWT and offers recommendations for improved comparability and targeted future research. Addressing these gaps will support more holistic evaluations and guide effective and informed decision-making in hospital wastewater management.
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    Open Access
    Assessing agri-food products circularity by using the material circularity and circular flow indices
    (Elsevier, 2025) Tetteh, Harrison; Balcells, Mercè; Bala, Alba; Fullana i Palmer, Pere; Margallo, María; Aldaco, Rubén; Puig, Rita
    Enhancing circularity in agri-food systems improves resource efficiency by reducing inputs like fertilisers or pesticides, and food waste, while lowering environmental impacts. However, there is no consensus on which circularity indicators best suit this sector. This study is the first to jointly apply the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) and Circular Flow Index (CFI) to assess the circularity of a biological product, chicken meat. They were selected for their complementarity: MCI provides a broader assessment of material efficiency, considering recycled content and recycling rate of products and wastes, while CFI emphasises internal recirculation and closed-loop recycling. Therefore, sourcing chicken feed and reusing manure within the same farm increases circularity scores under CFI. The study also compares for the first time the circularity of two meat packaging systems with varying shelf lives and food waste percentages: System A (15-day shelf life, 15 % food waste) compared to System B (6-day shelf life, 47 % food waste). Results show that only MCI captured the significant difference in food waste (15 % vs. 47 % food waste) when product lifetimes were integrated into its utility factor. This highlights MCI's sensitivity to product longevity. Integrating carbon footprint measurement further revealed significant environmental differences between the two systems, underlining the need to combine circularity indicators with life cycle-based indicators for better decision-making. The proposed framework—combining MCI, CFI, and life cycle indicators—offers a more holistic approach to measuring circularity in biological systems. Further research is recommended to test new case studies and adapt existing circularity indicators. The goal is to establish a small, user-friendly set of complementary indicators tailored to the agri-food sector's unique challenges, thereby supporting more circular practices.