Abstract

Many of the environmental impacts are caused by improper waste disposal, including those which are quickly consumed, such as chewing gum. The lack of information regarding the environmental problems caused by these materials is one of the issues which can be solved by Environmental Education. This pathway can make individuals aware of their responsibilities. In this sense, the present work aims to walk young students through several physical analysis which prove the degradation resistance of the chewing gum before and after undergoing the chewing process. Materials were studied along six months. During this period, a group of students followed the experiment, and they were able to conclude that chewing gun does not degrade quickly, drawing their attention to the Environmental cause.

Keywords: Environmental education; Chewing gum; SBR; Degradation

Abbreviations: CAM0: Chewed Sugar Sample in the First Day; CAM1: Chewed Sugar Sample after One Month; CAM6: Chewed Sugar Sample after Six Months; CCA0: Control Sample with Sugar in the First Day; CCA1: Control Sample with Sugar after One Month; CCA6: Control Sample with Sugar after Six Months; SAM0: Chewed Sugarless Sample in the First Day; SAM1: Chewed Sugarless Sample after One Month; SAM6: Chewed Sugarless Sample after Six Months; CSA0: Control Chewed Sugarless Sample in the First Day; CSA1: Control Chewed Sugarless Sample after One Month; CSA6: Control Chewed Sugarless Sample after Six Months; TGA: Thermogravimetric Analyses; SEM: Scanning Electron Microscopy; FTIR: Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy