The production, use, and poor management of polymers, and especially of expanded polystyrene, have resulted in various environmental challenges, such as large-scale waste generation, accumulation of toxic substances, and the pollution of natural resources, chiefly of water and soil. Consequently, nations around the world are investing considerable research effort into developing waste treatment and reduction solutions. Some areas have even enacted bans against the use of the material, however, in the Colombian case, it continues to be highly represented in the industry, and given the low cost of this packaging, little effort has been made to find a replacement. Expanded polystyrene is a thermoplastic polymer with low weight, low thermal conductivity, low cost, and low water absorption; factors which have made it a less attractive target for recycling. It has, however, excellent resistance to mechanical compression, which makes it viable for study in other applications such as those considered in the present study, offering advantages in terms of environmental protection without the need to completely eliminate the use of the material. The present study analyses the effects of integrating waste expanded polystyrene into the process of creating waterproofing paint. The research is divided into three major phases: the first focusing on the determination of the paint’s technical requirements using previous research and by means of initial testing; the second, on elimination tests to validate the properties of various samples before preparing the final paint mixture; and finally, a third phase of final tests required for a waterproof paint. The final formula is applied to common materials in the construction sector, such as wood, metal, glass, and concrete, to validate each of the required properties. Among the main results, technical viability was identified in the second sample, which demonstrated the best results at a ratio of 1: 2.5: 2.5 of waste expanded polystyrene, D-limonene and methyl acetate, respectively.

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This study evaluates the effect upon the compressive strength of ceramic masonry bricks when industrial byproducts known as soot are added. The research includes an analysis of the granulometric properties of the constituent components, performed manually with ASTM C136-01 screens to determine particle size using apertures sized from large to small; an analysis by XRD of the mineralogical phases present; a compressive strength analysis performed using standard compression testing machinery; and a water absorption measurement calculated according to Colombian Technical Standard: 4017:2015-Methods for the Sampling and Testing of Masonry Elements and other Clay Products. Five trials were performed using different mixtures of clay and soot, at substitution rates of 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60%. These mixtures were prepared under identical conditions in order to ensure validity of the resulting comparisons. The results showed that bricks with 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% added soot demonstrated superior structural strength compared to conventional units. Bricks incorporating 60% soot, however, were found to have lower strength and high porosity.

The interest in developing experiments and processes in general through mathematical modelling or simulation, has been growing considerably in recent decades; the previous, insofar as it offers highly reliable results that have an impact on advantages such as reduction of the risk associated with the execution of costly or difficult to reproduce experiments since they handle many variables or even the elimination of times associated with the execution of said experiments. For its part, the study of hydrogen storage alloys represents a fundamental element in the so-called hydrogen economy, which seeks the integration of hydrogen as an alternative solution to dependence on fossil fuels, due that this energy vector has a high energy density when is compared to the gasoline and the only residue of this process is water vapor that will undoubtedly reduce CO2 emissions. Thus, in this study a simulation of the evolution of the microstructure of hydrogen storage alloys based on TiCrV is developed, using ternary systems at different temperatures; this evolution is the result of the phase change when the elements are subjected from high temperatures to room temperature, obtaining a body-centered cubic structure. Likewise, the solidification process of the components present in the alloy is studied to corroborate the final structure with experimental data. In preliminary results, it is observed that the simulation throws a body centered structure, and in the solidification process, a remnant of a compact hexagonal structure is observed. This Ti-Cr-V system is widely studied due to its large hydrogen storage capacity, which can be used for technological purposes.