Joseph Grogan focuses studies on the extraction and recovery of metals from more complex materials
(Washington, DC) - The Recycling Research Foundation (RRF), a nonprofit organization closely associated with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), today announced Joseph Grogan as the recipient of its 2014 National Scholarship. Recognizing the need for affordable graduate education, the scholarship awards $5,000 to an individual seeking a graduate degree in a field that supports the scrap processing and recycling industry as a whole.
“The Recycling Research Foundation is proud to honor Joseph Grogan with this scholarship as he pursues an education that will well-prepare him for a future in the recycling industry,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener. “One of the goals of this scholarship is to generate interest in recycling careers and there is no doubt that with the knowledge he gains from his education, Joseph will be able to make significant contributions to the recycling industry in many areas.”
“The objective of my research is the development of a process to remove the zinc coating from galvanized scrap,” Grogan said. “This process will accept galvanized scrap as a feed and produce separate dezinced ferrous scrap and value added zinc products, recycling the galvanized steel in its entirety. Currently, it is planned that the dezinced ferrous scrap material will be used as an alternative feed material to a foundry which requires zero zinc fuming, for reasons including occupational health and safety concerns. I would like to thank my advisor Prof. Corby Anderson, and the Center for Resource Recovery & Recycling (CR3) and National Science Foundation for their support of this research. ”
Grogan is a 2015 PhD Candidate in Metallurgical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, currently studying at the Kroll Institute for Extractive Metallurgy. Prior to Colorado School of Mines, Joseph received a B.S. in Environmental Geochemistry from University College Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland, and a European M.S. in Minerals Engineering from Camborne School of Mines in the UK. He has experience in research and consulting, and has worked in a variety of mining and metals projects in commodities including steel, gold, uranium, copper, zinc, lead and REE. For his master’s thesis, Joseph’s research involved the recovery of base metals from metallurgical smelter slag. The research that he is currently working on for his PhD thesis is focused on galvanized scrap recycling, primarily in the areas of zinc hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, corrosion electrochemistry and reagent recovery technology which is incorporated into process design and economic modeling to evaluate commercial viability.
“Upon completion of my PhD, I hope to find a position in the recycling industry and contribute to society’s sustainable metal use,” said Grogan. “I am glad to have found my way into the recycling industry and feel fortunate to be moving forwards in my career in extractive metallurgy and recycling, fields I find challenging and rewarding.”
The Recycling Research Foundation’s mission is to promote the art and science of scrap processing and recycling through research, sponsorships, technical assistance, and educational programs for the purpose of advancing the industry. Over the last 10 years, the Foundation has fulfilled this mission in two primary areas; the offering of scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate students, and the funding of research beneficial to the industry. Since 2002, the Foundation has awarded nearly $1 million in scholarships to more than 700 students and has overseen much needed research into the recycling of electronic scrap.
Picture available upon request.
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)
ISRI is the
Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ISRI represents more than 1,600 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, ISRI provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. For more information about ISRI, visit
www.ISRI.org.