Investigating the Properties of Plastic and its Effects on the Environment
A sample of microplastics collected from the Pacific Ocean.Copyright 2019 Erica Smeader, University of Akron RET
Plastics offer a lot of worth to our world, ranging from medical use to consumer products, but they also adversely affect our environment and ecosystems. Working in teams, students investigate four different plastic properties: density, chemical decomposition, physical decomposition, and the ability to enter the food web. Based on their investigations, students learn how the properties of plastic create pollution that significantly impacts the environment and ecosystems.
Polymer engineering is a field of engineering in which plastics are created. Understanding plastic and its properties may help polymer engineers create more environmentally-friendly plastics and/or develop methods to clean up plastics. Plastic waste and cleanup also impact another branch of engineering: environmental engineering. Environmental engineering is a branch of engineering that utilizes math, science and engineering principles to create solutions that will protect and improve the health of living organisms and improve the condition of the environment. Environmental engineers also work on amelioration of plastic waste and its impacts.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Identify sources of plastic and microplastic.
- Identify impacts of plastic and microplastic on the environment and ecosystems.
- Create, investigate and analyze potential solutions to the problems associated with plastic and microplastic pollution.