Investigating Chemistry’s Potential Roles in the Life Cycle of Plastics – An Outreach Laboratory Activity for High School Students

An outreach event for secondary school students has been designed and implemented to demonstrate the potential roles chemistry can play within the life cycle of plastics. This event entailed a short prelab lecture to introduce students to plastics and sustainable chemistry, followed by students performing three different laboratory activities on rotation. In Activity 1, students investigate the chemical basis behind the density float and infrared (IR) spectroscopic techniques employed in the sorting of traditional plastics for mechanical recycling. For Activity 2, students synthesize a polymer using delta-valerolactone, a renewable monomer that can be made from lignocellulosic biomass. In Activity 3, students examine the reaction conditions required to degrade poly(lactic acid) (PLA) back into the lactic acid monomer. Through these activities, students gain a holistic view of the plastics problem by engaging with various parts of the life cycle, and students should appreciate the various end-of-life options that can be exploited by chemists to help reduce the impact of plastics. Student feedback was collected using a survey to assess students’ affect before and after the event, which showed a marked positive increase in attitude toward chemistry. Student feedback was also collected via a questionnaire, in which students expressed their agreement that sustainability is of great personal concern and that chemistry can play a role in reaching sustainability goals.