From Waste Paper to Cellulose: Building Environmental Awareness by Chemical Technology from Pragmatistic Pedagogy

With the increase of waste paper, environmental pollution and atmospheric impact have become global problems. The cellulose contained in waste paper has the advantages of being renewable and biodegradable and can be applied to many fields to achieve sustainable development. At present, thermal management materials, as a new type of material, have been proved to have potential advantages in environmental protection and resource conservation. Thermal management materials based on cellulose can not only recycle waste paper but also expand thermal management materials to different fields. In this experiment, the senior undergraduates cultivated the awareness of green environmental protection by extracting cellulose from waste paper and then completed the construction and performance exploration of thermal management materials under the guidance of teachers. The simple representations involved in this experiment can enable undergraduates to connect with the knowledge of analytical chemistry, polymer chemistry, and other subjects learned in the classroom and enable students to combine theory with practice. In addition, the positive feedback received from the students indicates that the experiment effectively serves as a compelling platform for teaching polymer chemistry and analytical chemistry and closely links the latest scientific research results with the laboratory experiments of undergraduate students. This work not only cultivates students' awareness of environmental protection but also stimulates their interest in advanced materials, which can be used as a springboard for them to become material scientists in the future.