Integrating Green Chemistry into Undergraduate Science and Engineering Courses
Green Chemistry is the application of a set of principles that aims to reduce the negative impact of chemical processes and products on human health and environment. It is therefore an important movement toward sustainable development. Implementing Green Chemistry would involve academics, industry, the government, and commercial application. This paper discusses one possible way to integrate aspects of Green Chemistry into undergraduate science and engineering courses and related disciplines, especially those where chemistry is a non-major. Three stages of implementation will be highlighted. Firstly, students will be encouraged to have awareness and sensitivity to societal issues involved in chemical processes and products. Secondly, students will be involved in discussions of topics to enable them to realize that earth is a closed system with its inherently limited capacity. Finally, students will be introduced to the concept and practice of life cycle assessment (LCA). It is anticipated that the three stages of implementation could be spread over one semester lasting about 16 weeks. Case studies with regard to aspects of Green Chemistry will be presented as examples.
Keywords: Green Chemistry, sustainable development, undergraduate teaching, life cycle assessment.