Module 21-M58 Principles of Sustainability

In this module, students gain initial insights into the principles of sustainability. They become familiar with fundamental concepts of sustainability, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or Green Chemistry. For selected examples, students discuss in the context of a semester project work sustainable alternatives to existing processes. After the course, students will be able to evaluate procedures and approaches in light of sustainability and propose initial ideas for a more sustainable implementation.

In this module, general aspects of sustainability are initially presented using the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, without the prerequisite of detailed chemistry knowledge, and their relation to chemical questions is discussed. Numerous UN Sustainable Development Goals are connected to themes such as climate, environment, and nutrition, which are then explored in more detail in the context of chemical issues (for example, global warming due to CO2 emissions). Other UN Sustainable Development Goals focus on the "materials world" and the chemicals used therein, with plastics being of paramount importance in terms of volume. Accordingly, the topic of the raw material base, along with the question "What does a sustainable chemical product look like?" forms another focal point of the course. This also includes examining the life cycle of a product in the context of a circular economy. The various recycling approaches and the challenges they present are addressed, with contributions from chemistry being at the forefront of this section (including strategies for molecular recycling or "chemical recycling"). In addition to the properties of products, their synthesis also contributes to sustainability. Therefore, fundamental questions in the development of sustainable manufacturing processes should be considered (e.g., the use and selection of solvents, purification strategies), as well as simple methods for assessing the sustainability of syntheses (particularly in terms of atom economy and E-factor). In the second part of the module, students apply their acquired knowledge in the context of a project work. Selected projects are worked on in groups. The goal is to not only focus on the content but also to consider other essential aspects such as information research, communication of ideas, and the agreement on common goals and task distribution.

—

—