Waste treatment as a tool to promote environmental education in chemistry teaching

Author(s)

Daniela Gonçalves de Abreu

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2003-12-01

Examining board members

Yassuko Iamamoto; João Batista Baumgartner; Glaucia Maria da Silva Degrève; Adriana Vitorino Rossi; Pedro Faria dos Santos Filho

• Advisor: Yassuko Iamamoto
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Indexed in: Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS
• Location: Universidade de São Paulo. Biblioteca Central do Campus de Ribeirão Preto; FFCLRP/Abreu, Daniela Goncalves de

Abstract

Nowadays, in which several segments of the society are more and more worrying about the environmental subject, the University cannot ignore more its posture of generator of wastes, because this is not corresponding with the function of the University itself that has to evaluate and usually censure the impact caused by others external generator of wastes Institutions. ln this way, the initial aim of this work was to accomplish the inventory of the chemical wastes generated in the teaching and research laboratories, in order to contribute with the elaboration of the project for the Treatment of Chemical Wastes of the Department of Chemistry of Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto/USP. The focus of environmental education in some disciplines of the undergraduate course in Chemistry was on purpose to contribute for the implantation of this project. The relationship hour of class per week of the discipline of Qualitative Analytical Chemistry (QAC) was reduced, changing from 8 h per week in 1990 to 6h per week in 1999. Thus, the reformulation of the discipline program had the purpose of to eliminate \"excesses and repetitions\" and to introduce actions that promote an Environmental Education, through the careful analysis of the content, traditionally worked in this discipline [Baccan et al., 1994; Vogel, 1981]. Inside of educational proposal the approach of treatment of wastes performed in the discipline were made in order to develop in the students the conscience of the environmental preservation. Additionally, also it was intended to structure another graduation discipline about Treatment of Chemical Wastes, of multidisciplinary character, offered for the 6 th or 8 th semester students of chemistry course. The objective of this discipline was to become the student capable to make decisions about the management of wastes, as to implement viable procedures for the final disposition of the wastes, to treat more common chemical wastes in the teaching laboratories. The student should apply his previous chemical knowledge, developed during the undergraduate course, in the resolution of real problems. Besides the technical qualification, this discipline could promote the ethical attitude and environmental responsibility, contributing to improve the profile of the future chemist, as professional and citizen. (AU)