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The primary focus in electrifying the transportation sector should be sustainability. This can be effectively attained through the application of the seven eco-efficiency principles, which constitute the global standard for assessing the sustainability of products. Consequently, this framework should guide the development of current electric vehicle designs. The first section of the present article assesses the alignment of the automotive industry with these sustainability requirements. Results show that even though the electric vehicle promotes the use of cleaner energy resources, it falls short of adhering to the remaining principles. The implementation of advanced models in battery management systems holds great potential to enhance lithium-ion battery systems’ overall performance, increasing the durability of the batteries and their intensity of use. While many studies focus on improving current electric equivalent models, this research delves into the potential applicability of Reduced-Order Model techniques for physics-based models within a battery management systems context to determine the different health, charge, or other estimations. This study sets the baseline for further investigations aimed at enhancing the reduced-order physics-based modeling field. A research line should be aimed at developing advanced and improved cell-state indicators, with enhanced physical insight, for various lithium-ion battery applications., This research was funded by Project PLEC2021-008152, by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union “NextGenerationEU”/PRTR”. This work is also supported by the Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program grant to the ENMA research group No. 2021 SGR 00226. Lluc Canals Casals acknowledges the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Univer- sity of Melbourne (particularly Nando (Luis) Ochoa) and the Ministerio de Universidades, with the grant CAS22/00126 from the research stay mobility program for young researchers “José Castillejo, Modalidad B del Programa de estancias de movilidad de profesores e investigadores en centros extranjeros de enseñanza superior e investigación”, for allowing him to expand his research overseas., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima, Postprint (published version)

Presently, Electric Vehicle batteries are considered to have reached the End of Life once their State of Health falls to 70-80%. However, this criteria is universal to all battery capacities and not based on the specific application requirements. To evaluate whether the End of Life can be extended below the current threshold, the impact of the Internal Resistance increase needs to be addressed. In this sense, this study employs a degradation aware electrothermal model to evaluate the battery performance for different use cases. The findings reveal that capacity constraints are the main cause of the End of Life, followed by power constraints. However, this is highly dependent on the battery capacity. Large capacity batteries tend to reach the End of Life for capacity constraints, whereas smaller ones show power limitations first. The temperature increase has not shown to be a restriction for any of the cases simulated. The decline in performance is for most cases (37.5% of the simulated ones) noticed below 70% State of Health, supporting that the first-life of most batteries can be extended without compromising the vehicle’s performance. This is especially the case for most average drivers using large battery capacities, currently emerging on the market. The methodology proposed for the simulated cases can be extended to real time operation in the Battery Management System. Estimating the End of Life in this way can support the maximization of the first-life and only requires an appropriate use of the available data., Lluc Canals Casals is a Serra Hunter Fellow. This work is also supported by the Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program grant to the ENMA research group No. 2021 SGR 00226. Lluc Canals Casals acknowledges the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the University of Melbourne (particularly to Dr Nando (Luis) Ochoa) and the Ministerio de Universidades, with the grant CAS22/00126 from the research stay mobility program for young researchers “José Castillejo, Modalidad B del Programa de estancias de movilidad de profesores e investigadores en centros extran- jeros de enseñanza superior e investigación”, for allowing him to do expand his research overseas., This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agree- ment No. 963580. This funding includes funds to support research work and openaccess publications., Postprint (published version)

Textile dyeing processes produce non-biodegradable, intensively coloured effluents, which contain unreacted dye molecules and are not efficiently treated by conventional biological treatments. Electrochemical processes are an alternative with an added value that is normally ignored because of a lack of evidence and supporting studies: the simultaneous production of hydrogen and its potential. This study assesses the capability of electrochemical processes to eliminate the colour from textile dyeing wastewaters while hydrogen is produced as a by-product. Four textile dyeing effluents containing the four most commonly used reactive azo dyes were treated in a Hofmann Voltameter. The results indicate that lower current densities are more energy-efficient working conditions for both studied variables (discolouration and hydrogen production), although they lead to a slower process. Discolouration of the effluents is >90 % with a consumption of 5 kWh/m3 in the most efficient conditions. The presence of the dye has no effect on hydrogen generation flows or performance in function of the applied current. Hydrogen production efficiencies of around 80–95 % are achieved, compared to the theoretical maximum. The effluent's electrical conductivity is the only variable that affects the results, with greater conductivity implying better energy performance. The hydrogen produced had no impurities due to the effluent composition and stored up to 20 % of the energy consumed during the treatment under the most efficient working conditions (20–25 mA/cm2). Therefore, it is available for energy recovery and represents an incentive to use electrochemical treatment of wastewaters with anode-cathode separation and hydrogen capture on the cathode., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

As the Electric Vehicle market grows, understanding the implications of battery degradation on the driving experience is key to fostering trust among users and improving End of Life estimations. This study analyses various road types, charging behaviours and Electric Vehicle models to evaluate the impact of degradation on the performance. Key indicators related to the speed, acceleration, driving times and regenerative capabilities are obtained for different degradation levels to quantify the performance decay. Results show that the impact is highly dependent on the road type and nominal battery capacity. Vehicles with long and medium ranges show a robust performance for common driving conditions. Short-range vehicles perform adequately in urban and rural road conditions, but on highways, speed and acceleration reductions of up to 6.7 km/h and 3.96 (km/h)/s have been observed. The results of this study suggest that degradation should not be a concern for standard driving conditions and mid- and long-range vehicles currently dominate the market. In addition, the results are used to define a functional End of Life criterion based on performance loss, beyond the oversimplified 70–80% State-of-Health threshold, which does not consider individual requirements., This research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 963580., Lluc Canals Casals is a Serra Hunter Fellow. This work is also supported by the Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program grant to the ENMA research group No. 2021 SGR 00226. Lluc Canals Casals acknowledges the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the University of Melbourne (particularly to Nando (Luis) Ochoa) and the Ministerio de Universidades, with the grant CAS22/00126 from the research stay mobility program for young researchers “José Castillejo, Modalidad B del Programa de estancias de movilidad de profesores e investigadores en centros extranjeros de enseñanza superior e investigación”, for allowing them to expand their research overseas. The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of the RYC2021-033477-I grant, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union “NextGenerationEU”/PRTR., Postprint (published version)

Thermal comfort is crucial for people well-being and productivity in buildings, and it has a strong effect on building’s energy usage. The main models for assessing thermal comfort, like predictive mean vote (PMV) and adaptive models, need many environmental measurements, making monitoring complex. That has sparked a debate: some advocate reducing the number of variables, while others stress sticking to the original models. This article evaluates current research trends and addresses the limitations of globe sensors, the most commonly used instrument for measuring mean radiant temperature. To address these is- sues, the study conducts a sensitivity analysis using latin hypercube sampling with multidimen- sional uniformity and employs data from 41 measurements conducted in educational buildings spanning different academic levels, from preschool to university. This analysis examines various simplifications in the measuring procedures for the PMV and adaptive models proposed by ASHRAE 55, ISO 7730 and EN 16798. For this purpose, two mean radiant temperature accuracies are used according to the minimum requirement and the desired value specified by ISO 7726, ±2 ¿C and ±0.2 ¿ C respectively. The results suggest that models with fewer variables tend to overestimate thermal comfort levels. However, this models are valid as their estimations fall within the uncertainty range of the complete model, as long as the mean radiant temperature accuracy is ±2 ¿C as achieved with globe sensors. When mean radiant temperature accuracy improves (i.e. ±0.2 ¿C), the outcome of the models with less variables imply an overestimation falling out of the uncertainty of the complete model., This study is supported by “ComMit-20 – 2020PANDE00116” project funded by L’Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) through the Pandèmies 2020 programme; MOVE4EDU “Modular ventilation system integrated with urban food production in educational buildings" project, reference PID2021-126845OB-C22, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and, by “ ERDF A way of making Europe”; Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program (2021 SGR 00341, 2021 SGR 00226 and 2021 SGR 01052); Networking Biomedical Research Centre in the subject area of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN, Spain), initiatives of Instituto de Investigación Carlos III (ISCIII); ISCIII (grant AC22/00035); ACCI Ó (grant Innotec ACE014/20/000018); the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (www.mineco.gob.es) PID2021- 122952OB-I00; Pla de Doctorats Industrials de la Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (2022 DI 014); and CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya. JF and LCC also acknowledge the Serra Húnter Program., Postprint (published version)

La industria textil se caracteriza por unos altos consumos de agua y energía calorífica, siendo el 4º sector industrial en consumo de agua y el 5º en emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero en la Unión Europea. De entre todas las fases productivas, la de mayor impacto en estos consumos es la de acabados textiles, como el mercerizado, blanqueado y tintura entre otros. El algodón y las fibras celulósicas representan el 30% de la producción textil, y aunque los efluentes generados en su procesado son diferentes, presentan ciertas similitudes: alta alcalinidad y conductividad, contenido orgánico biodegradable y presencia de colorantes no-biodegradables. Los últimos se han tratado, tradicionalmente, con la adición de químicos decolorantes, basados en aminas cuaternarias, que representan un elevado impacto medioambiental. Alternativamente a los procesos físico-químicos tradicionales, el tratamiento electroquímico se ha demostrado eficaz con efluentes de tintura y blanqueado, evitando la adición de químicos, pero representa un elevado coste energético. Las condiciones de operación son muy similares a la electrólisis alcalina del agua, propiciando la generación de hidrógeno en el cátodo durante el proceso que, hasta la fecha, se ha considerado un residuo inflamable que debe ser extraído. Con este tratamiento electroquímico es posible reutilizar el agua tratada, ya que mantiene las condiciones de alcalinidad y salinidad requeridas para los acabados textiles. Su recirculación ahorra en el consumo de agua, sales (NaCl) y agentes alcalinos (NaOH), productos modificadores del agua de proceso, y evita la descarga de contaminantes y la necesidad de tratar químicamente la alta alcalinidad del efluente residual. Llamado a ser un revulsivo para la transición energética, este estudio busca maximizar la circularidad de la industria textil con la generación y aprovechamiento del hidrógeno producido en el cátodo de los tratamientos electroquímicos de efluentes residuales., El primer autor agradece a la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya el apoyo económico de su beca predoctoral FPU-UPC, con la colaboración del Banco de Santander., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament::6.3 - Per a 2030, millorar la qualitat de l’aigua mitjançant la reducció de la contaminació, l’eliminació dels abocaments i la reducció al mínim de la descàrrega de materials i productes químics perillosos, la reducció a la meitat del percentatge d’aigües residuals sense tractar, i un augment substancial a escala mundial del reciclat i de la reutilització en condicions de seguretat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura::9.4 - Per a 2030, modernitzar les infraestructures i reconvertir les indústries perquè siguin sostenibles, usant els recursos amb més eficàcia i promovent l’adopció de tecnologies i processos industrials nets i racionals ambiental­ment, i aconseguint que tots els països adoptin mesures d’acord amb les capacitats respectives, Postprint (published version)

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo diseñar la estructura de un portafolio en el que se recojan las evidencias de aprendizaje relativas a la asignatura Gestión de Proyectos del Máster Universitario de Gestión de Sistemas de la Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC) y permita trabajar ciertos contenidos básicos sobre inteligencia emocional, aspecto clave en la gestión de proyectos. Para ello, se realizó el diseño del portafolio y se distribuyó entre el alumnado de la asignatura en cuestión. Posteriormente, se valoró la utilidad de dicho portafolio distribuyendo una breve encuesta entre el alumnado. En ella, se preguntaba entre otras cuestiones, si el portafolio diseñado había facilitado el aprendizaje de ciertos aspectos ligados a la inteligencia emocional como la gestión de las emociones. El análisis de los resultados, pone de manifiesto que el alumnado ha acogido esta iniciativa de forma positiva y evidencia la consciencia que tiene el alumnado sobre la importancia del desarrollo de sus competencias personales para llevar a cabo una gestión de proyectos más efectiva. Palabras clave: Portafolio; Gestión de proyectos; Inteligencia emocional., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Postprint (published version)

Electric vehicle battery second-life applications are gaining attention as a way to minimize the environmental impact and increase economic profits. However, the demand for stationary energy storage is expected to be saturated in the near future with these second-life batteries. This fact, in addition to the several technical and economic challenges of second-life batteries, promotes exploring other alternatives. This work analyses and compares these possible approaches in terms of battery degradation and economic profit. The results show that for large batteries, intensive Vehicle to Grid does not cause an early retirement of the battery and allows reducing the underuse of the battery. In addition, for the same battery size, Vehicle to Grid provides more economic profit than second-life applications. Nevertheless, only in a few cases does this appear to be more profitable than simply utilizing the battery for driving. Importantly, this study has shown how the assessment of the second-life tends to be too optimistic as a consequence of assuming a fixed End of Life threshold for the batteries., This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 963580. This funding includes funds to support research work and open-access publications., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

© 2023 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0, Demand response through Demand Aggregation is part of the energy transition towards a green and distributed system. Although the market is open in most European countries, its practical implementation is not much successful yet. In the last decade, research presented different options to deal with demand response and aggregation. This paper compares the benefits and limitations of strategies implemented from a research perspective and the strategy followed by a recently created company to see which of the advances in research are currently useful from a business perspective. The study presents a novel decision matrix to evaluate demand response strategies. Results show that there are technical limitations in current Energy Management Systems that need to be taken into account when developing demand aggregation platforms. In addition, the study highlights the importance to propose a simple and scalable solution to allow consumers to participate actively in electricity markets and create a success business model., This research has been supported by the research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 of the European Union under the grant agreement nr. 731211 SABINA. C. Corchero work is supported by the grant IJCI-2015-26650 (MICINN). All researchers have been partially supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain (2017 SGR 1219). L. Canals Casals thanks the national project IAQ4EDU (PID2020-117366RB-100) for giving the opportunity to continue his work in this field., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant, Postprint (published version)

During laundering, synthetic textiles (polyester, polyamide, etc.) can release small fiber debris with a length of <5 mm. These are a type of microplastics (MPs), usually referred to as microfibers (MFs), which are considered high-concern pollutants due to their continuous and cumulative entrance into the environment. Currently, as far as we know, there are no feasible alternatives to remove them. In this work, four new and sustainable filtering systems are proposed to retain the MFs emitted from domestic washing machines. The filters contain a replaceable cartridge partially filled with recycled low-density polyethylene pellets. The four designed filtering systems of different sizes were tested in a household washing machine determining the retention efficiency of the MFs after several washing cycles. It was found that all four assessed filter arrangements have a good performance for retaining MFs from the washers’ effluents. Filter F1 (diameter of 4 cm and a height of 30 cm) started retaining more than 50% of the MFs, at the 10th washing cycle, the retention climbed to 66%, while in the 20th washing cycle, its retention was greater than 80%. MF retention was higher for filter F2 (diameter of 6.3 cm and a height of 41 cm), achieving a performance greater than 90% in the 20th washing cycle. Filter F3 was arranged by turning the F1 model flow upside down and the retention efficiency is higher compared with filter F1 values, reaching a retention efficiency of almost 100% in the 15th washing cycle. Finally, filter F4 arrangement was developed using the existing washing machine filter, obtaining better performance than the F1 and F2 filters, reaching efficiencies higher than 90% at the 20th washing cycle. In summary, depending on the arrangement, the microfiber retention efficiency was estimated between 52% and 86% in the 1st washing cycle and up to 83% to 99% in the 20th. Additionally, all arrangements demonstrated that the cartridges may last for more than 30 washing, This research was funded by the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR 2018_DI_022), Postprint (published version)

A small installations company with a well-established 25-year-old hierarchical structure wants to evaluate Agile project management methodologies. To do so, the company decides to implement SCRUM in two projects: i) Sanitary and hot water installations in a 6-unit apartment building; ii) Photovoltaic system installation for a single-unit property. The implementation and management are carried out by an engineering student on his final degree thesis. The process begins with the capacitation of the company workers on the basic concepts of SCRUM. After a few sessions, the theory is put directly into practice in both projects. To evaluate the efficiency of the implementation of SCRUM in the SME, several factors were taken into consideration: Timing, costs, and degree of satisfaction of workers, the owner of the company, and the propriety. Results show an important improvement in all those key performance indicators. The satisfaction of all involved parts (workers, director, and propriety) was higher than what they expected, while there was a reduction between 20% and 25% in the scheduled plan and between 13 and 20% in costs. Everyone got what they wanted., Lluc Canals Casals es professor del programa Serra Húnter de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Postprint (published version)

Este trabajo de final de máster presenta un modelo para analizar y predecir la calidad ambiental en el interior de salas educativas. Se engloba dentro del proyecto ComMit-20 que tiene como objetivo establecer el impacto de la COVID-19 con respecto al consumo de energía y el bienestar en los edificios. Primero, se han recogido las medidas adoptadas por las universidades y los gobiernos a raíz de la pandemia. Además, se exponen los conceptos y regulaciones gubernamentales referentes al confort térmico y calidad interior de aire. Segundo, se describe la metodología para diseñar los modelos. Se establece que la temperatura depende de las características del aula, la generación de calor de los ocupantes y de la calefacción. La concentración de CO2 varia debido a la respiración de los usuarios y a la ventilación existente. Se define el proceso de recogida de datos, así como una caracterización de las dos salas de estudio analizadas durante el transcurso del proyecto. A partir de los datos recogidos, se ha analizado el estado actual y se han validado los modelos desarrollados. El resultado es un método para predecir el comportamiento interior del aire en aulas universitarias con el fin de optimizar los sistemas de climatización., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Postprint (published version)

En la actualidad debemos realizar un cambio drástico en la manera de generar y consumir energía, para poder hacer un sistema más sostenible. La transición energética hace frente a los grandes impactos ambientales que se derivan de los combustibles fósiles, pero va más allá. La actual crisis climática nos demuestra que es importante establecer el estado actual, realizar las evaluaciones pertinentes con un enfoque ambiental, utilizando herramientas como el análisis de ciclo de vida (Gabriel, Matos, Castelo & Magrini, 2022). Esta herramienta nos permite mirar que se ha realizado y que propuesta de mejora podríamos tener en toda la cadena de generación de energía y particularizando en el consumo en la pequeña industria, lo que facilita identificar los impactos asociados a los diferentes tipos de energía (Martinez, 2018). Con el proposito de ver que se ha realizado hasta la actualidad y aportar una solución aplicada a las pimes, se desarrolla la presente revisión bibliográfica con la que se logra establecer los alcances que han tenido dichas evaluaciones y el aporte que desde el concepto de ciclo de vida permite entender este sector productivo y su camino a la eficiencia ambiental., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant, Postprint (published version)

The textile industry is a major contributor to water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, ranking 4th and 5th respectively in terms of impact in the EU. The process of major concern are the finishing operations, such as brightening, dyeing, printing and mercerizing, which require water at high temperatures. These processes result in effluents with high levels of alkalinity and conductivity, making their wastewater ideal for electrochemical treatment. The industry has used various strategies to treat these wastewaters, but has not considered using electrochemical processes in conjunction with hydrogen co-generation, which could help decarbonize the textile finishing industry. The study evaluates the use of mercerizing and dyeing effluents as electrolytes for hydrogen production, coupled with color removal in the latter. The hydrogen flow rate depends solely on the effluent conductivity, with no detected effect from the present contaminants. Both effluents achieve hydrogen generation efficiencies of over 70%. The electrochemical treatment of dyeing effluent achieves 97-99% color removal and generates hydrogen equivalent to 19,5% of the electric energy consumed during treatment., The first author gratefully acknowledges the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya for the financial support of his predoctoral grant FPU-UPC, with the collaboration of Banco de Santander., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament, Postprint (published version)

El sector de edificios representa alrededor de un tercio de la energía relacionada con las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) de la UE, convirtiéndolo en un sector crucial para alcanzar los objetivos energéticos y medioambientales de la UE. Por ende, la UE ha establecido un marco legislativo para fomentar la integración de tecnologías verdes y mejorar el rendimiento energético en los edificios. En este sentido, considerando las necesidades de rehabilitación de los edificios públicos en España, y en particular en Catalunya, este trabajo propone la optimización de un sistema de poligeneración para el edificio TR5 de la UPC ubicado en Terrassa. Esta se lleva a cabo usando un modelo de Programación Lineal Entera Mixta para optimizar económicamente el sistema bajo distintos escenarios. Los resultados muestran la viabilidad del uso de fotovoltaica en todos los escenarios, mientras que otras tecnologías como los colectores solares térmicos, almacenamientos energéticos, entre otros, no lo son. Por otro lado, la configuración óptima cambia según los precios de la energía, pero también el impacto ambiental. En particular, los precios más altos del gas natural conducen a reducir las emisiones de GEI, mientras que precios más altos de electricidad no conllevan a ello necesariamente., Los autores agradecen la financiación por parte de la Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya y su apoyo durante la ejecución de este trabajo. El autor Edwin S. Pinto agradece la financiación de las ayudas Margarita Salas proveniente de los fondos Europeos UnionNext Generation y del Ministerio de Universidades de España., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

El problema de la gestión de la basura y los residuos sólidos no ha dejado de ser un problema latente en los países con más o menos recursos del mundo, siendo el problema mayor en los países de Latinoamérica especialmente de Bolivia relacionados principalmente a la recogida y tratamiento posterior considerando las normas técnicas y ambientales. Esta comunicación se sistematiza en base a información secundaria recogida de artículos científicos publicados con experiencias relatadas sobre las últimas tendencias en la recolección y tratamiento de la basura. Se sistematiza así experiencias de la Unión Europea, de Asia y Latinoamérica con énfasis en Bolivia, que nos dan luces claras sobre la gestión de la basura en ciudades modernas y en vías de desarrollo que dependen sobre todo del nivel de educación y motivación de los pobladores con respecto al medio ambiente, en Bolivia denominado Madre Tierra. Se ha encontrado como hallazgos, que los aspectos que motivan para el tratamiento adecuado de la basura no son solamente técnicos sino también socioculturales y dependen mucho del nivel educativo de las personas. Los países desarrollados como las de la Unión Europea son los que llevan la delantera en tema de recogida, tratamiento y nivel educativo de las personas, siendo los países en vías de Desarrollo como por ejemplo Bolivia, que todavía tienen muchos problemas en la recolección y tratamiento de la basura a través de los denominados rellenos sanitarios, influyen para ello varios aspectos relacionados a falta de políticas municipales, regionales, y nacionales relacionados al tema., Postprint (published version)

© 2023 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works., The introduction of robotic technology in an existing scenario must be analyzed from the point of view of all the human roles involved in that scenario. In the case of dealing with urban public space, the analysis must consider a large group of citizens who carry out different activities on it. The purpose of this article is to analyze the human roles and the human acceptance when the robotic technology is introduced in the last mile distribution of goods in urban areas. In this work, we start with the description of the Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) scenario for last mile goods delivery, we describe the human roles and we propose a set of relevant indicators to evaluate the human acceptance for this task. Finally, we evaluate the human acceptance through qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. The study has been done for the peer end-users and bystanders human roles and around 100 people participated., Work supported under the European project LogiSmile with the grant (EIT-UM-2020-22140) and by the Spanish State Research Agency through the ROCOTRANSP project with the grant (PID2019-106702RB-C21 / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033) and AUDEL project (TED2021-131759A-I00)), Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Aiming for synergies between indoor air quality in high-occupancy buildings and urban agriculture, this research investigates the capacity to enhance crop growth based on the generation of CO2 from occupants' exhalation in university classrooms. Accordingly, the CO2 concentrations of eight campuses classrooms of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia have been analyzed over a period of one year. The data have been obtained from sensors installed through the climate action strategy designed by the university and are available through SIRENA platform. Results show great potential in the utilization of exhaled CO2 thanks to the generation during school periods. However, the profiles obtained show discontinuous CO2 availability throughout the year and during the hours of maximum photosynthetic activity of plants. Moreover, the measured CO2 levels exceed, on many occasions, the recommended limit for crop growth., The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) for the financial support of the research projects: MOVE4EDU "Modular ventilation system integrated with urban food production in educational b1236 1. Introduction Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a crucial aspect of creating safe and comfortable environments, especially in educational, Postprint (published version)

The increasing demand for Lithium-ion batteries for Electric Vehicle calls for the adoption of sustainable practices and a switch towards a circular economy-based system to ensure that the electrification of transportation does not come at a high environmental cost. While driving patterns have not changed much over the years, the current Electric Vehicle market is evolving towards models with higher battery capacities. In addition, these batteries are considered to reach the End of Life at 70–80% State of Health, regardless of their capacity and application requirements. These issues may cause an underuse of the batteries and, therefore, hinder the sustainability of the Electric Vehicle. The goal of this study is to review and compare the circular processes available around Electric Vehicle batteries. The review highlights the importance of prioritizing the first-life of the battery onboard, starting with reducing the nominal capacity of the models. In cases where the battery is in risk of reaching the End of Life with additional value, Vehicle to Grid is encouraged over the deployment of second-life applications, which are being strongly promoted through institutional fundings in Europe. As a result of the identified research gaps, the methodological framework for the estimation of a functional End of Life is proposed, which constitutes a valuable tool for sustainable decision-making and allows to identify a more accurate End of Life, rather than considering the fixed threshold assumed in the literature., This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 963580. This funding includes funds to support research work and openaccess publications., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program, based on the flipped learning model, for future teachers of Secondary Education and Vocational Training. For this study, a pre-experimental research design was used, and an instrument was applied to determine the level of training acquired in active methodologies, design of activities, technological tools, evaluation strategies, and student satisfaction with the training program. The results show the effectiveness of the program for training students in the active methodologies and technological tools most appropriate to implement the flipped model in the classroom., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

During the industrial processing of almond fruits tons of almond skins are generated. Valorization of blanched almond skin wastes by recovering natural polyphenols using water, instead of organic solvents, for direct application of aqueous baths for dyeing of wool fabrics was studied in this work. The results shown that it was possible to recover polyphenols from almond skins and use them as a dye for wool fibres. Kinetic of extraction was modelled by using diffusion based Chrastil model and Peleg’s empirical model obtaining excellent fit in both cases (R2>0.96). The amount of polyphenol extracted was enough to achieve correct direct dyeing with excellent washing, rubbing and perspiration fastness although the obtained shades are dull. Nevertheless, it was possible to achieve a better coloration by using ion(II) sulphate as mordant resulting in dyeings with reasonable good washing and rubbing fastness, Postprint (author's final draft)

Estimating the State of Health of Electric Vehicle batteries is a crucial yet challenging task. Various Health Indicators have been proposed to assess degradation, yet several of them may not be obtainable under normal operation. Additionally, battery degradation alone does not provide insights into the battery’s functionality for a specific application. To address these limitations, this study analyses experimental data reflecting diverse driving conditions and evaluates the efficacy of various Health Indicators to estimate the State of Health. Results show that the value of the second peak in the Incremental Capacity curve and the use of multiple indicators produce the most accurate results. Furthermore, this study introduces a functional definition of battery degradation through the State of Function, which combines the specific driving requirements with the capacity to estimate how far the battery is from its functional End of Life. This approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of the battery’s health and its ability to perform efficiently for a given application., This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 963580. Lluc Canals Casals is a Serra Hunter Fellow., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

In the present context of energy transition towards a carbon neutral society, residential sector plays an important role to combat climate change since it represents about 40% of the global final energy consumption and 30% of direct CO emissions in the European Union. Polygeneration systems, facilitating the integration of renewable energies, are a feasible alternative enabling efficient use of natural resources with low environmental impact. This work analyzes the economic viability, in terms of net present value (), and environmental benefit (CO emissions) of an energy supplier company playing the role on an aggregator for both demand and supply. As an owner of a polygeneration system, optimally designed through a MILP approach, it delivers various energy services (electricity, space heating, domestic hot water and cold) to several customers (50 dwellings). The analysis is performed, considering three different business models, in two different locations, Zaragoza (Spain) and Marseille (France), with different energy demands, energy mixes and energy regulations. The optimal configuration obtained, consisting of cogeneration module, PV, reversible heat pump, boiler and thermal energy storage has shown to be very resilient and cost-effective in the scenarios analyzed. Results indicate that the proposed scheme represents an added value for both the supplier company (aggregator), with a positive , and the final customers (owing savings greater than 30%), with significant reduction of CO emissions., This work was developed in the frame of the research project ENE2017-87711-R, partially funded by the Spanish Government (Energy Program), the Government of Aragon (Ref: T55-20R), Spain, and the EU Social Fund (FEDER Program 2014-2020 "Building Europe from Aragon"). The authors also want to acknowledge the mobility program for Latin-Americans offered by Unizar-Santander Universities and to the Erasmus mobility program. The project leading to this publication has also received funding from Excellence Initiative of Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour – I-Site E2S UPPA, a French “Investissements d’Avenir” program., Postprint (author's final draft)

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar cómo se presenta mediante la guía docente la asignatura de Proyectos al alumnado del Grado en Ingeniería en Tecnologías Industriales (GRETI) en las diferentes universidades politécnicas españolas. Para realizar dicho análisis, se ha utilizado como instrumento de evaluación una rúbrica validada previamente por el grupo GRAPA (Grupo de Evaluación de la Práctica Académica de la UPC), y se ha aplicado a las guías docentes disponibles en las páginas web de las diferentes universidades de la asignatura de proyectos de GRETI. Los resultados muestran que a nivel global las guías docentes están muy bien elaboradas y obtienen una buena puntuación. Si observamos los resultados por ítems se observa que el que obtiene una puntuación más baja es el correspondiente a los instrumentos de evaluación mientras que los relativos a metodología y actividades son los que resultan mejor valorados. Los resultados sugieren que todavía falta por terminar de definir las competencias que desarrollarán a lo largo de la asignatura, los niveles de desarrollo y cómo se realizará la evaluación de las mismas, para verificar que el alumnado formado será competente en dichas habilidades., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Nowadays, most of the electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to their high energy density, higher power density and degree of development relative to other battery technologies. As Li-ion technology evolves and the EVs fleet increases, it is important to understand the environmental impacts of mass- producing the battery packs for EVs. However, with 80-150 Wh/kg energy density, current Li-ion batteries are not able to power the EVs for a comparable driving range with conventional vehicles. Lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries have emerged as promising battery technology, with a higher theoretical capacity and energy density than Li-ion batteries used today. Moreover, Li-S batteries presumably present a lower environmental profile due to their chemical composition compared to Li-ion ones. To verify this statement, this study performs a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Li-S battery cells (under industrial development at the moment) that have been scaled up accordingly to estimate their performance as a battery for EVs. This comparison will provide the impact of each battery and the potential benefits in terms of environmental impact indicator values of the Li-S technology. The impacts of the Li-S battery are compared with those of a Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) battery under the same driving distance. The environmental impact assessment results show that Li-S batteries present a most favourable environmental profile compared to NCM batteries, especially in the natural resource depletion categories where the Li-S battery has 70%-90% lower values compared to the Li-ion one., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Under COVID scenario, it has been observed that the constraints derived from remote teaching makes harder an already challenging task: the achievement of teamwork skills and their assessment. This study, which is part of the UPC-ICE “EQUIPA'T” teaching innovation project, aims to design a new protocol for the development of academic projects and the individualized evaluation of university students regardless the field of knowledge within engineering. To that end, eight functionalities have been identified: (i) quantification of the individual contribution; (ii) group dynamics and individual roles; (iii) internal team management; (iv) communication; (v) creativity (brainstorming / concept map); (vi) design thinking; (vii) repository; (viii) content development (previous ideas about concepts). For each of them, a series of indicators, activities, and tools have been defined to allow the development of the aforementioned functions in face-to-face and remote environments. In addition, an analysis has been carried out to determine the implementation of the protocol by professors in the pilot stage of the project., The authors would like to thank ICE - UPC for the finantial support under "EQUIPA'T" project (reference G/22930/GEN), Postprint (published version)

Currently Electric Vehicle batteries are considered to reach the End of Lifeonce their State of Health reaches70-80%. However, notions of circular economy suggest that the battery first-life should be extended as much as possible to reduce their environmental impact.Previous works have considered the range limitations of the drivers, arguing that the End of Lifethreshold is too conservative for many cases. However, to validate this statement, the increase of the internal resistance must be addressed. In this work a battery model is used to simulate the battery performance under different driving cycles synthesized from real data. Results show that the functional End of Life is forced by capacity, power or safety related issues.The dominant cause for reaching the End of Life depends highly on the battery size.The under performance is in most cases found after 70-80% State of Health, validating that the first life of most batteries could be extended without affecting the performance of the vehicle., This work was supported by the ALBATROSS H2020 project with grant agreement ID 963580. Cristina Corchero and Lluc Canals Casals are Serra Hunter Fellows., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo obtener un instrumento que permita orientar a los estudiantes en la elaboración de un portafolio que recoja las evidencias desarrolladas a lo largo de sus estudios y poner en valor las competencias adquiridas cuando se enfrenten a un proceso de selección de personal. Dicho instrumento se desarrollará con la percepción y visión de los empleadores. Para realizar el diseño de dicho instrumento, se ha llevado a cabo una breve encuesta a diferentes empleadores para conocer su opinión acerca de la utilidad de disponer de un portafolio, así como para recoger aquellos aspectos que consideran que el portafolio debería mostrar y poner en valor y en consecuencia el instrumento que utilizaremos debiera valorar para ayudar a los estudiantes en el diseño del mismo. El análisis de los resultados de la encuesta, nos ha permitido diseñar un primer borrador de instrumento en forma de escala de valoración, la aplicación del cual permite a los estudiantes conocer en qué grado el diseño y contenido de su portafolio de competencias se ajusta a los requerimientos manifestados por los empleadores., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de qualitat, Postprint (published version)

The development and assessment of skills from graduate students throughout their studies, has been incorporated into the new framework established by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) as a new with respect to the previous model. Under this new approach, students, acquire transversal and specific skills development in their academic stage, in order to improve their personal and professional profile with implementation warranties. The main aim of this work is about the used methodology at university for teamwork transversal skill assessment, and knowing about human resources office assessment of this type of skills in candidates for a job vacancy. For doing this, brief semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded with several teachers from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya who evaluate or have evaluated this competence in their subjects and with several people who are professionally dedicated to the selection human resources. After the transcription of the interviews, a qualitative analysis of data collected was carried out. This analysis showed different methodologies used in the two areas of study and the difficulties in evaluating this competence. Moreover, it was observed that while in the academic field teachers and the students have more time to carry out the assessment of this skill and demonstrate its acquisition, but in the labor area, the candidate must demonstrate to the employer the acquisition and development of this skill in a short time. The difficulty in evidencing the competence for teamwork and even other skills in a short time, suggest that it would be useful to have some tool that would allow candidates to demonstrate their degree of development in the transversal skills faster and easier., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad iniciar el proceso de transformación cultural de las organizaciones hacia la filosofía ‘Agile’. El estudio parte de filosofía ‘Agile’ en cuanto a que las personas son lo más importante, ya sean clientes/usuarios finales como los propios empleados. Por ello, se considera necesario que el ‘core’ de las organizaciones sean sus empleados, buscando equipos de trabajo eficientes que empaticen con el cliente/usuario final y con los objetivos de la compañía. Para llevar a cabo este estudio, se han determinado las diferentes fases: 1) evaluación de la orientación de la organización (tradicional/’Agile’) mediante encuesta dirigida a todos los miembros de la organización; 2) entrevistas personales; 3) comparativa de los resultados de las encuestas y entrevistas y; 4) correlación de los resultados. El resultado de este estudio sirve para clasificar la orientación de la organización y cómo de compatibles son las políticas de la organización con las cualidades, habilidades, motivaciones y necesidades de los empleados. Dichos resultados deben servir como base un plan de actuación en el marco del modelo de transformación cultural que se desarrollará a lo largo del resto del estudio., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::8 - Treball Decent i Creixement Econòmic, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Postprint (published version)

Microplastics (MPs, size < 5 mm) are among the most environmentally challenging pollutants. Their continuous and cumulative inflow or generation in the environment is what makes them drastically problematic. These pollutants can come from a wide variety of sources; hence, they are potential vectors that pose extensive risks to environmental and human health. Microfibers (MFs) are one type of MPs. Among the most well-known types of MFs are those detached from textile articles from household laundering or industrial processes. Currently, there are many ways to retain the MFs detached from textile articles. However, as far we know, there are no methods of valorizing the retained MFs. As such, we propose a novel and sustainable treatment method to immobilize MFs in a polymeric matrix, turning them into a composite. To determine the mechanical properties of the expected composites, different proportions of polyester MFs were mixed with low-density polyethylene, which is the material proposed for the immobilization of MFs. The results show that the optimum manufacturing composition was 10% (v/v) polyester MFs in the polymeric matrix. This composition improved some of the tensile mechanical properties of the polymeric matrix. Once the composites are obtained, these can be used for different purposes, This research was funded by the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR 2018_DI_022), Postprint (published version)

In last decades, there has been an interest in using biogenic wastes and by-products as fillers or reinforcements to produce polymer composites. Hence, new composites materials based on a blend of biogenic chicken feathers (CFs) and polypropylene (PP) are proposed in this work and compared, from the environmental point of view, with currently used materials as neat PP and PP reinforced with glass-fibres (PP-GF). A Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed in order to compare the environmental impact of these three materials when being used either for automotive or stationary applications. The mechanical properties of each material were taken into account to calculate the equivalent mass of each industrial application and the use phase and end of life (EoL) were included in the LCA study. The results showed that, for automotive applications and for all the materials studied (PP-GF, PP-CFs and PP) the use phase has a great contribution to the environmental impact categories considered, proving that the new developed material based on CFs (PP-CFs) would be appropriate for stationary applications but not for mobile applications as automotive ones. In addition, the EoL scenario considered, i.e. incineration with energy recovery, has proven to provide extra environmental credits, Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Project ref. MAT2015-65392-C2-1-R (MINECO/FEDER), Postprint (published version)

Este artículo parte de uno de los valores principales de la filosofía ‘Agile’ que se fundamenta en defender que las personas son lo más importante de una organización, dado que son quienes promueven su éxito o fracaso. El objetivo de este artículo es detallar la relación entre la orientación de una organización (tradicional/’Agile’) y la satisfacción de sus empleados, es decir, poder relacionar las necesidades, motivaciones, habilidades y cualidades de los empleados que conforman los equipos de trabajo con las políticas de la organización. Para ello se ha aplicado la metodología definida en el propio estudio (encuesta global y entrevistas individuales) en un departamento de una compañía del sector de la automoción. A pesar de que la muestra real de encuestados y entrevistados puede resultar en algunos aspectos sesgada e insuficiente, los resultados reflejan las debilidades y fortalezas de las políticas de gestión de equipos y empleados de dicha organización, así como los aspectos clave en los que debería actuar la organización para alcanzar ese óptimo de satisfacción del empleado que incremente la sostenibilidad de la organización., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::8 - Treball Decent i Creixement Econòmic, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Postprint (published version)

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar cómo se presenta mediante la guía docente la asignatura de Proyectos al alumnado del Grado en Ingeniería en Tecnologías Industriales (GRETI) en las diferentes universidades politécnicas españolas. Para realizar dicho análisis, se ha utilizado como instrumento de evaluación una rúbrica validada previamente por el grupo GRAPA (Grupo de Evaluación de la Práctica Académica de la UPC), y se ha aplicado a las guías docentes disponibles en las páginas web de las diferentes universidades de la asignatura de proyectos de GRETI. Los resultados muestran que a nivel global las guías docentes están muy bien elaboradas y obtienen una buena puntuación. Si observamos los resultados por ítems se observa que el que obtiene una puntuación más baja es el correspondiente a los instrumentos de evaluación mientras que los relativos a metodología y actividades son los que resultan mejor valorados. Los resultados sugieren que todavía falta por terminar de definir las competencias que desarrollarán a lo largo de la asignatura, los niveles de desarrollo y cómo se realizará la evaluación de las mismas, para verificar que el alumnado formado será competente en dichas habilidades, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Postprint (published version)

In this work, we present the development and characterisation of new cement-based composite panels reinforced with fibres recovered from wastes of protective technical clothing. The developed panels present a flexural strength (~15 MPa) and fracture toughness (~3.5 kJ/m2) that are suitable for their application on ventilated façades. The environmental impact of these panels was evaluated through the life-cycle assessment (LCA) from a cradle-to-gate approach and was compared with similar engineered materials and commercial materials used for ventilated façades (fibre cement facing tiles, ceramic tiles, and natural stone plates). Two functional units were assessed: the panel necessary to cover 1 m2 of façade, and the panel necessary to cover 1 m2 of façade providing a maximum bending stress of 17 or 24 MPa. For 17 MPa, the new composite developed has presented similar environmental performance to fibre cement facing tiles and significantly better than the traditional ceramic tiles and natural stone plates, This work was supported by the Spanish AEI (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Government of Spain) [grant number PID2019-108067RB- I00]. The author Heura Ventura is a Serra-Húnter fellow. Monica Ardanuy aknowledges the Ministerio de Universidades (Ministry of Universities, Government of Spain) for the mobility grant PRX21/00264 (Subprograma de Movilidad, Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017–2020), Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Postprint (published version)

The microplastics (MPs) are considered one of the most threatening pollutants. One of the main concerns is their continuous and cumulative flow to water environments, as they are very difficult to be removed. Microfibers (MFs) are a significant type of MPs, with textile articles as one of the most renowned sources. This review aims to provide the current status of these MFs as pollutants, discussing possible alternatives from the manufacturing until the final disposition of MFs. There are many alternatives to reduce these pollutants from reaching the environment but also gaps that need to be further evaluated and addressed. Besides, it should be noticed that alternatives could be complementary between them. Some viable and non-contaminating solutions to reduce this pollution are currently on the market. Also, one relevant aspect is the final disposition or usage of the retained MFs to avoid them from reaching aquatic environments, The authors acknowledge the support of the “Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya” for funding this project, Postprint (published version)

The building sector represents around one-third of the energy related to the EU CO2eq emissions, which makes it a crucial sector for achieving the EU’s energy and environmental goals. Thus, the EU has established a legislative framework to foster, among others, the modernisation of the existing building stock through a better energy system integration. In this sense, bearing in mind the needs of energy system retrofit of the public buildings in Spain, this paper carried out a thorough analysis of different trade-off solutions obtained from the multiobjective optimization of a polygeneration system for the TR5 building of the Polytechnic University of Catalunya. The results highlight the selection of PV panels, cogeneration modules and 2nd life Li-Ion batteries, among others, to achieve cost-effective and sustainable energy systems. By covering the available area, 2000 m2, the PV panels attend about 23% of the electricity required for the building. On the other hand, considering the current geopolitical tensions, it presents a potential configuration that allows to cut off the natural gas consumption reducing about 6% the current cost. The study was carried out by using a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model maximizing the Net Present Value of the project considering the environmental impact., The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Edwin S. Pinto reports financial support was provided by Europe Union-NextGenerationEU and the Ministry of Universities of Spain., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

At end-of-life, the battery of electric vehicles (EVs) must be properly managed at dedicated facilities to maximize reuse and recycling. Therefore, transportation entails major challenges, as they are not only heavy and big parts but are also classified as hazardous waste which makes transport expensive and highly regulated. As most of the batteries’ management facilities are located in the centre of Europe, this study assesses whether using a decentralised model to handle batteries from EVs is more sustainable and economical than using a centralised model where most of the EVs batteries are handled and prepared for a 2nd life usage or recycling in a bigger and unique facility in Europe. A feasibility analysis of installing a dismantling facility in Spain is done to compare it with the centralised option of sending the batteries to be handled in Germany. In the analysed scenarios, the costs of battery transportation from Spain to Germany are on average 200% higher compared to the cost of keeping these batteries in Spain. Moreover, most of the specialized facilities in the treatment of batteries are located in the centre of Europe leading to high logistical costs to the countries furthest away from such centres. This determines how logistics costs play a more important role when the economic viability of building one single big facility in contrast to having multiple smaller and spread facilities. In addition to all the economic advantages, a decentralised model has other advantages such as reducing CO2 emissions by reducing transport., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Postprint (published version)

The objective of this work was to determine the optimal conditions for the electrooxidation treatment in order to decolourise the effluents that contain reactive dyes. According to the results, when Na2SO4 is used as an electrolyte, the decolouration reactions follow first-order kinetics. However, when NaCl is present in the effluent, the first-order kinetics is stabilised after applying a minimal electric current value. The models obtained from the results show that the higher the concentration of NaCl, the lower the energy consumption. On the other hand, an increase in dye concentration leads to an increase in electrical consumption. In relation to the pH, the results show that it is not a key factor in the decolouration efficiency. Finally, the obtained model was applied to two real effluents. The feasibility of individually treating the effluents from the dyeing process and those from the subsequent wash-off process was evaluated. From an industrial application point of view, it is recommended to mix both effluents before treatment, especially when the dye concentration is high, Postprint (published version)

This work is the compilation of the research carried out by Ph.D. student, Francisco Belzagui Elder, during his predoctoral stage in the Environmental Engineering research group (ENMA) of the Institute of Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation of Terrassa (INTEXTER) that belong to the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC)., The microplastics (MPs) are small fragments (length < 5 mm) of non-chemically modified and/or non-biodegradable polymers. Rough estimations point that there are between 15 to 51 trillion buoyant items of MPs in marine environments and 14 million tons in the top 9 cm of sediments of the world’s oceans. According to the “European Chemical Agency”, chemically treated and/or nonbiodegradable textile microfibers (MFs) are a type of microplastics with a length to diameter ratio higher than 3 mm and a maximum length of 15 mm. One of the most renowned sources of MFs are those detached from every cycle of a textile article laundering. These are considered one of the most environmentally threatening pollutants as they have a continuous and cumulative entrance to the environment. Due to their small diameter they are more prone to be ingested by organisms, so high concentrations have been found in products for human consumption, as shellfish and tap water. In this research, the microfibers’ detachment rates of finished garments were evaluated. Results showed that MFs detachment ranges between 175 to 560 MFs/g or 30’000 to 465’000 MFs/m2 of garment. In addition, there was a high correlation between the MFs detachment and the textile article superficial density. As there are still no accurate models to assess the MFs pollution, in this thesis a method to estimate the mass flow of MFs detached from household laundry that reaches aquatic environments was developed. The method considered the following parameters: (1) the detachment rate of microfibers from different textile garments, (2) the volume of laundry effluents, (3) the percentage of municipal water that is treated, (4) the type of used-water treatment applied, and, (5) the proportion of front- versus top-loading washing machines. In this way, 0.28 million tons of microfibers per year were estimated to reach aquatic environments. Moreover, hypothetical situations were simulated to evaluate the reduction of microfibers by mod, This work was supported by INDITEX (2018-2021) through the call “Doctorats Industrials 2018”. This thesis was granted by the “Secretaria d'Universitats I Recerca del Departament d'Empresa I Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya” (AGAUR) with the Grant “Doctorats Industrials 2018 DI 022”. Part of the chapter 7 of this thesis was funded by UPC through the project “MBBR carriers” (R-02058 – Ajut als instituts 2021)., Postprint (author's final draft)

The residential sector plays an important role to combat climate change. It requires alternatives to reduce its energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions. Thus, polygeneration systems are a suitable alternative enabling efficient use of natural resources with low environmental impact. On the other hand, microgrids are considered a key component for improving power reliability and quality, besides they offer a viable solution for integrating renewable energy sources at a large scale. Accordingly, this paper proposes an approach for the design of polygeneration systems for residential buildings considering them not only as a microgrid but as a smart energy system. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model was developed for the optimization of polygeneration systems considering different constraints which allow the energy system to work as a microgrid. Different thermal and electrical technologies where evaluated under different conditions, finding affordable and sustainable configurations and interesting synergies between technologies. Results show the importance to consider both thermal and electrical demands and technologies simultaneously for the design of energy systems. It is highlighted the displacement of batteries by thermal energy storage to achieve more cost-effective solutions in contrast to the current tendency to uphold battery systems as the key for future energy systems., This work was developed in the frame of the research projects ENE2017-87711-R and PID2020-15500RB-I00, partially funded by the State Research Agency (SRA), the Government of Aragon (Ref: T55- 20R), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The corresponding author also acknowledges the Margarita Salas grant funded by the Europe Union-NextGenerationEU and the Ministry of Universities of Spain., Postprint (author's final draft)

La gamificación es una estrategia metodológica que hace referencia a la integración de elementos del diseño de juegos en actividades de aprendizaje. Una forma de aplicar la gamificación es el Escape room, en el que se plantea una narrativa que enmarca los retos que los participantes deben superar. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido evaluar una experiencia de gamificación basada en un Escape room y analizar la satisfacción del alumnado con la misma. Se ha utilizado una metodología cuantitativa con un diseño descriptivo tipo encuesta. En la experiencia han participado 25 estudiantes de educación superior que cursaban la asignatura de Gestión de Proyectos durante el curso académico 2020-2021. Como instrumentos se utilizaron, la escala de experiencia de juego gamificado validada previamente por Parra-González y Segura-Robles (2019) y un cuestionario diseñado ad hoc para conocer el grado de satisfacción del alumnado. Todos los ítems fueron valorados siguiendo la escala Likert (1 totalmente en desacuerdo y 5 completamente de acuerdo). Los resultados muestran que la experiencia de gamificación ha sido divertida y entretenida, el alumnado se ha implicado y se ha sentido confiado, despertando su imaginación en el transcurso del experimento. Así mismo, la satisfacción del alumnado con la experiencia de aprendizaje realizada se ha considerado aceptable (por encima del 75%) y demuestra que el alumnado ha disfrutado de la experiencia mientras profundizaba en aspectos claves de la asignatura., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat::4.3 - Per a 2030, assegurar l’accés en condicions d’igualtat per a tots els homes i dones a una formació tècnica, professional i superior de qualitat, inclòs l’ensenyament universitari, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat::4.4 - Per a 2030, augmentar substancialment el nombre de joves i persones adultes que tenen les competències necessàries, en particular tècniques i professionals, per a accedir a l’ocupació, el treball digne i l’emprenedoria, Postprint (published version)

El objetivo de este estudio ha sido evaluar una experiencia de gamificación basada en un Escape room y analizar la satisfacción del alumnado con esta. Se ha utilizado una metodología cuantitativa con un diseño descriptivo tipo encuesta. En la experiencia han participado 25 estudiantes que cursaban la asignatura de Gestión de Proyectos durante el curso 2020-2021. Como instrumentos se utilizaron, la escala de evaluación de experiencias gamificadas (Gamex) y un cuestionario diseñado ad hoc para conocer el grado de satisfacción del alumnado. Los resultados muestran que la experiencia de gamificación ha sido divertida y entretenida, el alumnado se ha implicado y se ha sentido confiado, despertando su imaginación., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat::4.3 - Per a 2030, assegurar l’accés en condicions d’igualtat per a tots els homes i dones a una formació tècnica, professional i superior de qualitat, inclòs l’ensenyament universitari, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat::4.4 - Per a 2030, augmentar substancialment el nombre de joves i persones adultes que tenen les competències necessàries, en particular tècniques i professionals, per a accedir a l’ocupació, el treball digne i l’emprenedoria, Postprint (published version)

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La virtualidad de las clases universitarias es una realidad imperativa desde el primer confinamiento provocado por la COVID-19. Cada universidad ha tenido un proceso de adaptación diferente y en grandes universidades con diferentes escuelas como la UPC, las escuelas han tenido potestad para decidir la mejor opción para su centro, siguiendo unas pautas generales marcadas por el rectorado. En el presente estudio, analizaremos 3 propuestas de escuela diferentes ETSEIAAT, FIB y ETSEIB. También se analizará como los profesores han afrontado el cambio y muy relacionado con las dinámicas propuestas por los profesores en el aula virtual, se analizará las propuestas formativas y acompañamiento que recibió el personal docente investigador por parte de cada escuela y global en la UPC, para hacer frente a este cambio cultural en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje. También se analizará la respuesta de participación que se obtuvo por parte del profesorado. Analizando su influencia directa con los cambios en la forma de impartir las clases virtuales y la satisfacción del alumnado., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Postprint (published version)

A hybrid Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor—Membrane Bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) was developed for the treatment of wastewater from a Spanish textile company. Compared with conventional activated sludge (CAS) treatment, the feasibility of this hybrid system to reduce economic and environmental impact on an industrial scale was conducted. The results showed that, technically, the removal efficiency of COD, TSS and color reached 93%, 99% and 85%, respectively. The newly dyed fabrics performed with the treated wastewater were qualified under the standards of the textile industry. Economically, the values of Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) calculated for the hybrid MBBR-MBR system are profitable because of the reduction in Operational Expenditure (OPEX) when compared with CAS treatment, due to the lower effluent discharge tax thanks to the higher quality of the effluent and the decolorizing agent saved. The result of Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 18% suggested that MBBR-MBR is financially applicable for implantation into the industrial scale. The MBBR-MBR treatment also showed lower environmental impacts than the CAS process in the life cycle assessment (LCA) study, especially in the category of climate change, thanks to the avoidance of using extra decolorizing agent, a synthetic product based on a triamine., This study is co-funded by ACCIÓ (Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain) within the REGIREU Project (COMRDI16-1-0062). The preliminary results of this study were presented at the II International Congress on Water and Sustainability, 24–26 March 2021, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain. This work was selected by the scientific committee to assume the article processing charges (APC) of publishing it in an open access journal., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Postprint (published version)

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [ Yang, X, López-Grimau, V, Vilaseca, M, et al. Reuse of textile wastewater treated by moving bed biofilm reactor coupled with membrane bioreactor. Coloration Technol. 2021; 137: 484– 492. https://doi.org/10.1111/cote.12543], which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/cote.12543. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., A laboratory-scale pilot plant of moving bed biofilm reactor coupled with membrane bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) was studied with regard to wastewater treatment in the textile industry, and the reuse feasibility of treated water was investigated. The pilot plant comprised two connected parts: an aerobic tank filled with carriers and a submerged membrane tank. The MBBR-MBR system reduced the hydraulic retention time to 1 day, which is very promising compared with conventional biological treatment in the textile industry. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand reached 93%, which is almost the maximum for a biological process treating this type of wastewater, as well as the colour removal performance, which achieved 85%. Additionally, 99% of total suspended solids were removed due to filtration. Furthermore, new dyeing processes reusing the treated water were performed. The quality of the new dyed fabrics with treated water was compared with reference fabrics. Colour differences between new dyed fabrics and reference fabrics were found to be within the general requirement of the textile industry (¿ECMC(2:1) < 1). The reuse of treated water in new dyeing processes is beneficial both for the industry and for the environment, because the textile sector is an intensive water consumer during both the dyeing and finishing processes., This study is co-funded by ACCIÓ (Generalitat de Catalunya) within the REGIREU Project (COMRDI16-1-0062)., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Microplastic pollution is a growing environmental concern among the scientific community. These small particles (<5 mm) might come from the fragmentation or direct emission of artificial and synthetic polymers. Among them, the microfibers (MF) are one of the most common types of microplastics identified in the environment. On the other hand, the most encountered type of garbage found in clean-up campaigns is the cigarette butts, which contains the smoked filters (SF) and unsmoked rests of tobacco. SFs are hazardous debris but are usually not properly disposed as such, and are composed of >15,000 strands that can be detached as MFs. This study aims to evaluate the detachment rate, the acute aquatic toxicity, and the aquatic-, thermooxidative-, and photo-degradability of the MFs generated from SFs. In this way, it was found that SFs detach approximately 100 small MFs (<0.2 mm) per day. In a rough estimation, about 0.3 million tons of potential MFs might be annually reaching aquatic environments from this source. Concerning the eco-toxicity, a statistically significant difference was found when MFs are present in the leachate generated by the SFs, where the Daphnia magna EC100 and EC50 were of 0.620 SF/L and 0.017 SF/L, respectively. Finally, the degradability of the SFs was evaluated by applying two methods (ATR-FTIR analysis and gravimetry). In both of them, a low degradability rate was observed. Thus, it may be concluded that MFs from SFs constitute an important source of microplastics, which might partially explain the high concentration of artificial polymers that have been found in the deep-sea sediments. Yet, the correct management of the SFs is an unsolved issue that should receive urgent attention, Postprint (author's final draft)

¿Sabía que anualmente se fuman 6 billones de cigarrillos? ¿Y que 4,5 billones de colillas terminan en el medio ambiente? ¡Son más de 8 millones por minuto! Es bien sabido que fumar tiene un impacto en la salud de los fumadores y sus acompañantes. Pero se habla menos del efecto que las colillas provocan en el medio ambiente y en nuestro organismo, Postprint (published version)

The textile dyeing produces a large volume of wastewater with high salinity and deep colouration. Residual dyes are generally not removed in conventional wastewater treatments and therefore specific treatments are required to remove colour. Sometimes, textile mills are not able to accomplish water discharge regulations as salts cannot be removed in the common wastewater treatments. To face both problems, salinity and colour of effluents, a new system has been designed based on a coupled electrochemical and UV process (EC-UV). It is a fast and simple treatment that enables the effluents colour removal. In addition, the wastewater salinity can also be reduced through the reuse of the treated effluents in new productive processes. The treatment is particularly efficient in the reactive dyeing process, although it can also be used for direct effluents. The implementation of this new system in the textile industry achieves significant benefits. The reuse of effluents containing high amount of salts implies lower consumption of water and salt in the dyeing process, and the removal of colour improves the yield of wastewater treatment plants with less consumption of chemicals. Finally, the reduction of wastewater salinity is also an additional economic and environmental benefit of the treatment, which results in lower wastewater taxes and improvement of the aquatic ecosystems, This research was co-funded by the European Commission within the CIP Eco-Innovation initiative of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, CIP: ECUVal project (ECO/13/630452). For more information: www.ecuval.eu, Postprint (author's final draft)