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Plastic Wood Production from Mining Tailings and Plastic Waste: An Experimental Study
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This study explored converting mining tailings and plastic waste into 'plastic wood' — a composite material — through an experimental chemistry class with undergraduate students. The project demonstrated that combining industrial waste streams can produce usable building materials while reducing solid waste disposal problems.
The present work addresses the environmental issue of solid waste in an experimental chemistry class aiming to reduce mining and plastic waste to produce plastic wood. The activities were developed with the participation of undergraduate students from the Chemistry course (UFES -Universidade Federal do Esprito Santo) in the discipline "Waste Treatment in the Environment" and students from the Civil Engineering course, that are using "Environmental Education" as theoretical support. The tailings used were characterized by XRD indicating the presence of SiO 2 (silica), Fe 2 O 3 (hematite) and Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 (kaolinite) as main components. The plastic wood sample produced showed surface aspects and color like those of natural wood. The preparation of a technological, sustainable, and economically viable product from waste was discussed in the classroom. Those experimental activities allowed a joint reflection with the students about the environmental issues and how the use of waste, to prepare new materials in the classroom, may promote transformative training, capable of influencing the future of these professionals and hopefully leading to more creative decision-making, with a focus on sustainable development and social responsibilities.
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