Producción Científica

This study presents a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on volatile fatty acids (VFA) production from wastewater fermentation published from 1981 to 21 June 2021. A total of 618 papers obtained from the Scopus database were analyzed using VOSviewer 1.6.16 software. According to the results, this topic has been capturing the attention of researchers over the years, but with different research approaches, including optimization of anaerobic digestion in two-stage reactors, biological removal of nutrients from wastewater, energy production in bioelectrochemical systems, and recovery of VFA as value-added intermediate products to be used as inputs in a variety of industries. In addition, the bibliometric networks obtained from the authors’ keyword frequency showed that wastewater treatment by using fermentation to obtain VFA as a value-added by-product is an emerging topic that undoubtedly requires further research and collaboration between scientific institutions. In this regard, different types of wastewater have been used as a substrate for acidogenic fermentation; however, and based on the results, the production of VFA from cassava processing wastewater is seen as one of the emerging issues of this field. Finally, evaluating the effect of operating conditions on the fermentation process, such as pH, hydraulic retention time, organic loading rate, temperature, inoculum and substrate concentration, independent of the final application of the VFA produced, is a relevant aspect for bioprocess optimization and implementation on a large scale.

The alarming levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) are an environmental problem that affects the economic growth of the world. CO2 emissions represent penalties and restrictions due to the high carbon footprint. Therefore, sustainable strategies are required to reduce the negative impact that occurs. Among the potential systems for CO2 capture are microalgae. These are defined as photosynthetic microorganisms that use CO2 and sunlight to obtain oxygen (O-2) and generate value-added products such as biofuels, among others. Despite the advantages that microalgae may present, there are still technical-economic challenges that limit industrial-scale commercialization and the use of biomass in the production of added-value compounds. Therefore, this study reviews the current state of research on CO2 capture with microalgae, for which bibliometric analysis was used to establish the trends of the subject in terms of scientometric parameters. Technological advances in the use of microalgal biomass were also identified. Additionally, it was possible to establish the different cooperation networks between countries, which showed interactions in the search to reduce CO2 concentrations through microalgae.

The technical and scientific analysis regarding studies of the water surface or groundwater has increasingly taken on a great social impact, which has led to the creation of the term socio-hydrology. Since decision making has a greater weight, considering the social perspective, its study has become more important in the past 20 years. This article aims to carry out a bibliometric analysis related to socio-hydrology using the Scopus database and the application of VOSviewer software for the evaluation of the intellectual structure of socio-hydrology, its conceptual evolution, and its tendencies. The methodology considers (i) search criteria of the research field, (ii) search and document selection, (iii) software and data extraction, and (iv) analysis of results and trends. The results show us the term socio-hydrology as a new scientific discipline that has traces in the Scopus database in the past two decades. However, its application stems from recognising ancestral knowledge alongside other forms of knowledge. Socio-hydrology practice requires participatory models, where the community has a great influence, and for the most part, it guarantees results for the common good. The trend of this topic is growing and open to the criteria of sustainability.