MISO – Motion in the Science Ocean Project Based Learning Using Mobile Devices – Synthesis of Biodiesel by Homogeneous or Heterogeneous Catalysis

Year 2019, Volume: 14 , 18 - 26, 20.09.2019

İsabel Allen Jose Dıas Luisa Santos Manuela Pınho Rui Rıbeıro Mariana Rebelo Sofia Ferreıra Mariana Coelho Matilde Ferreıra Miguel Ledo Rita Barbosa

Abstract

Six
European schools from very different parts of Europe (Agrupamento de Escolas da
Maia - Portugal, Anne-Frank-Schule Bargteheide – Germany, Özel Bilkent Lisesi –
Turkey,  Sandsli VGS – Norway, Institut
Pau Vila – Spain and Liceul Teoretic Iancu C. Vissarion - Romenia, have
developed an Erasmus+ project for Exchange of Good Practices, MISO, in order to
increase student interest in science, foster the use of ICT with different
applications for experiments, share experiences between teachers and students
and collaboratively examined new approaches to teaching and learning of science
(E-learning Tools). In recent years the automobile
industry has been looking for alternatives to reduce the consumption of fossil
fuels. One of
the solutions can be vehicles containing a normal internal combustion engine
that uses the biodiesel as combustion This research study used Project Based Learning as pedagogical
methodology, through the use of mobile devices and was done by students of Chemistry of 12th grade. Students
aimed to synthesize Biodiesel by transesterification
of refined soybean oil with methanol by basic catalysis using laboratory
materials. They studied the effect
of the amount of catalyst on the synthesis of biodiesel, they evaluated
the acidity index of biodiesel and they also studied the miscibility of the
produts obtained with ethanol and hexane. FT-IR was
used to monitor
the reaction. Mobile devices were
used during the project to take photos and to record videos of the experimental
procedure. Different type of APPS (Magisto, Animoto, Popplet and Scapple) were
used to report the results. This work showed that
transesterification is a simple, easy and economically accessible method of
synthesizing biodiesel. This project enabled students to deepen and
apply their previous and new learning, develop their critical thinking, their
creativity and communication, increase their autonomy, organizational
management of work, interpersonal relations and motivation for the learning.

Keywords

Project based learning, Mobile devices, Biodiesel

References

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