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Greener Plastics: A Case Study to Address to Sustainability Issues around Single-Use Plastics

Greener Plastics: A Case Study to Address to Sustainability Issues around Single-Use Plastics
Contributors
Mengqi Zhang
Organic chemistry laboratory coordinator | Michigan State University
Hunter McFall-…
Northwest Missouri State University
Decorative image of two people discussing bioplastics and recycling
Summary
This is a multi-week case study from a large-enrollment organic chemistry laboratory course at Michigan State University. In small groups, students are expected to engage in various scientific and engineering practices to (1) construct explanations of the chemistry of polymerization, (2) identify problems with respect to different shareholders, and (3) evaluate different solutions at different points in the life cycle as a “qualitative” life cycle analysis. These practices culminate in students making a decision in the proposed scenario of working in public policy and using their evidence-based argument to make a decision and support specific legislation.
Keyword Tags
12 Principles of Green Chemistry
UNSDGs
Plastics
Plastics Recycling
Bioplastics
Polymer Chemistry
File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)
si-policy-paper-template.docx
si-week-1-besocratic-slides.pptx
si-week-2-besocratic-slides.pptx
si-week-3-besocratic-slides.pptx
plastics-case-study-week-1.pdf
plastics-case-study-week-2.pdf
plastics-case-study-week-3.pdf
si-case-study-2-pla-report-tables.pdf
si-policy-paper-student-facing-instructions.docx
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.59877/COFM5921
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
-Construct a molecular-level explanation of how and why each polymer-forming reaction scheme occurs using your understanding of chemistry.
-Define the beginning-of-life problem faced by the polymer manufacturing companies and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses to possible solutions to the problem.
-Define the end-of-life problem faced by the chemical recycling companies and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses to possible solutions to the problem.
-Define the end-of-life problem faced by the chemical decomposition companies and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses to possible solutions to the problem.
-Design a solution to the congressperson's problem and communicate your group's solution through a Policy Paper that outlines an evidence-based argument of your choice of which legislative proposal to support.
Object Type
Assessments
Case studies
Audience
Introductory Undergraduate
Common pedagogies covered
Collaborative/cooperative learning
Problem-based learning
Green Chemistry Principles
Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
Design for Energy Efficiency
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Clean Water and Sanitation
Responsible Consumption and Production
Life Below Water
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
N/A, this is a dry-lab or lecture activity
Teacher Recommendations or Piloting Data (if available)
Students are encouraged to review a website containing an overview of mechanical recycling and asked to pull out the pros and cons of the method. The source is written for a non-expert audience appropriate for our non-majors population. We suggest adopters dive deeper into the chemistry behind mechanical recycling for a course serving predominately chemistry majors
NGSS Standards, if applicable
While not designed for high schoolers, this case study leverages the Engineering Practices of Defining Problems and Evaluating/Designing Solutions. Chemistry core ideas such as electrostatic interactions and bonding, energy, and structure-property relationships are also emphasized.

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Submitted by

Elizabeth Day
Reviewed by
Sonia Reyes Gómez
Published on
Moderation state
Published
Time required (if applicable)
3 hours (1 hour per week)
Related Learning Objects
Case Study for Evaluating Synthetic Routes Using Engineering Practices
Cooperative Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Collection
Call for Case Studies: Integrating Sustainability and Green Chemistry in the Classroom
Other notes/information
Information on how to write a policy paper included in the resource "Cooperative Organic Chemistry" laboratory manual.
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.