Session: Undergraduate Research Posters: Green Chemistry & Sustainability:

The ACS UFRJ Student Chapter has been testing approaches and conducting discussions focused on integrating industrial and everyday green chemistry examples into chemical education activities since 2017. The diffusion and incorporation of green chemistry concepts are on the rise, as noted by the emergence of research groups dedicated to investigations in the field and opportunities for their inclusion in sustainable development plans by the Brazilian government. However, an evaluation of its impact on the educational area shows that research groups and academic papers dedicated to evaluating, proposing, and inserting green chemistry into the curricula and classroom activities at different educational levels are still at a very incipient stage.
Noting this gap, the Chapter developed three online educational resources in 2020: (1) A project for greening the PVC production process for first-year students of the UFRJ Chemical Engineering course; (2) 14 webinars on green chemistry and related topics; and (3) A three-month course on "Basic Concepts of Green Chemistry." These activities presented sustainability problems through the integrated, systemic, and interdisciplinary approach provided by systems thinking, representing a promising approach to green chemistry education.
The course on "Basic Concepts of Green Chemistry" was aimed at exposing different segments of society to this topic and provoking a concerned audience to deal with the contemporary environmental crisis. It was held in six weekly virtual classes, given by professors from the School of Chemistry (UFRJ) and an invited lecturer from an elementary vocational school on the following topics: 1) The Bioeconomy; 2) Ethics and Sustainability; 3) Biofuels in Brazil; 4) Green Chemistry Education in the Elementary School Curriculum; 5) Life Cycle Analysis and 6) Sustainability and Green Chemistry in the COVID-19 Era.
The prospective candidates (a total of 92 persons were initially enrolled) had a predominantly academic profile. They consisted mainly of students and professors in higher education in chemistry and related sciences, chemical technicians, and high school teachers from different regions of Brazil. Their motivations for taking the course confirmed that educational institutions correspond to the proper spaces to provide a solid foundation of green chemistry, awareness of environmental issues, and engagement in problem-solving, as well as stimulating clean technologies and preventing pollution.

Estevao Freire

Appearances