Recycling of Rare Earth Elements from Cathode Ray Tube Waste Using Eutectic Ionic Liquids: Laboratory Activity for the Vocational Students to Support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of a laboratory activity designed to enhance vocational students' understanding of rare earth metal extraction from electronic waste, specifically Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) waste using Eutectic Ionic Liquids (EILs). The method is pre-experiment with one group pretest-posttest design. The research involved 15 chemical engineering students from the Polytechnic in Bandung. The laboratory activity involved collecting CRT waste, separating phosphorus material, synthesizing EILs, extracting rare earth metals from phosphorus material, and observing and analyzing the results. The data analysis technique used was descriptive analysis of N-Gain and statistical tests like the normality test and non-parametric Wilcoxon test. The results showed a medium increase in learning outcomes with a 28% and the N-Gain value for learning outcomes is 0.59. The Wilcoxon statistical test confirmed the significant difference between learning outcomes before and after the laboratory activity. The study concludes that this novel laboratory activity is effective in increasing students' understanding of sustainable rare earth metal extraction, It aligns with Sustainable Development Goals No. 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, providing a solution to the e-waste problem and serving as an educational tool for sustainable practices.