Using waste as a tool for environmental education and chemistry teaching

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to produce gypsum and ecological paint with residues of eggshells. Furthermore, we know that the reuse of these wastes aims to obtain new materials, so it becomes an indispensable tool for students in the reflection on environmental issues in their own community. This awakens in the child a greater capacity to evaluate the importance of preserving the environment for the health of the society to which it is inserted. Every development of the study revolves around the awareness of the environment and the teaching of chemistry as a stimulating tool. To this end, an activity program with all the institute’s 2nd grade students was organized on the IFPA campus of óbidos-PA. We elaborated the project with the community and the collections were carried out over a period of one week, being compared the amount of garbage produced by the residences and commercial points. The egg shell residues were treated and used as raw material for gypsum and ecological paint production. The community had the opportunity to participate in the environmental week produced by IFPA, where the results of the students’ work were demonstrated. The final result of the work was satisfactory, because the objective of producing industrial materials by the use of eggshells as a proposal to teach environmental and chemical education was achieved. The results in the written evaluations showed that the concept of content was effectively fixed and understood by the students, thus learning was more significant since it stimulated creativity among students and research as a tool for learning chemistry and the formation of the citizen with environmental and social awareness.