A química dos metais: uma abordagem CTS para discutir a problemática dos resíduos eletroeletrônicos

Abstract

Studies in the area of Science Education highlight the need for citizen training for decision making. In this sense, social participation became necessary in the face of the advancement of scientific and technological development. Based on the assumption that Chemistry Teaching should make it possible to assimilate the students' experiences and extend them to collective problems, discussing the problem of Electrical and Electronic Waste (E-Waste) has proved to be relevant, as well as promoting discussions about Environmental Education in the consumption and disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). The research was developed in a public school of the state education network of the city of Natal, with high school students. The objectives included the elaboration and application of an educational product, a sequence of activities that articulates the problem of electro-electronic residues with chemical concepts in a STS approach. The activities were carried out during eight meetings and included reading of newspapers, information booklet, lecture on properties and applications of metals present in the EEE, lecture on the application of metals in dental restorations and collection of E-Waste in said school for twenty days. The research, of a qualitative nature, used as participant observation technique. Data collection instruments were questionnaires, student activity records and field diaries. The results indicate that the students do not know much about E-waste and the problems related to their disposal. They also did not identify the collection points of such residues distributed in the city of Natal / RN, which contributes to the accumulation of these residues in the residences. The lack of knowledge of the chemical constituents in the EEE was perceived in the initial questionnaire and, in this sense, the study of metals can favor the understanding of the chemical composition of the EEE and contribute to its proper destination. The technological obsolescence and the influence of the media were perceived as incentives to the consumption of equipment and aggravating the generation of waste. The activity of collecting and disseminating information about the E-waste in the school was the most motivating for the students, since these revealed that they felt the protagonists of the process. Twenty-five kilograms of waste was collected. We understand that the activities allowed the promotion of the students' perception in relation to the subject and at the same time discussed several scientific concepts related to the chemistry of metals. In this sense, we understand that the results found here highlight the importance of discussing the assumptions of the field of STS Studies and Environmental Education in Basic Education class.