1. Jennifer Lynch, Research Associate
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
607 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8065
jklynch@rci.rutgers.edu
732.445.2716
October 30, 2014
Agrim Bhalla is currently a research assistant in the Materials Science and Engineering
Department at Rutgers University. Agrim began his Masters’ thesis research in our group in
May 2013.
Agrim is investigating viable methods of recycling plastics from consumer electronic
appliances (CEA), including identification techniques, processing, characterization, and end
use applications. With rapid growth of information technology in the past few decades, many
consumer-type electronic appliances are entering the waste stream. The engineering-grade
thermoplastic casings of discarded CEAs can be re-melted and molded into new parts. The
aim of Agrim’s project is to determine the commercialization potential of recycling CEA
plastics and to produce and characterize composites of CEA plastics and high density
polyethylene (HDPE) for use as structural recycled plastic lumber (RPL). This project is
funded by the Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Program at the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) titled, “Commercialization Effort to
Stimulate Local Recycling of Plastics from Electronic Appliances”.
As a research assistant, Agrim is motivated, very pleasant to work with, reliable, and hard
working. He is a responsible student that is able to work independently. Agrim conducted
literature searches regarding, identification techniques, types of CEA plastics, and HDPE-
based RPL. Agrim used a hand-held Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR)
to identify CEA plastics collected at a de-manufacturing plant, sorted the plastics by type, and
ground the plastics for further processing. He used polymer melt-processing equipment to
produce composites of various concentrations of CEA plastics in HDPE. Agrim characterized
the mechanical properties of the composites in tension, flexure, and impact, thermal
properties using a Differential Scanning Calorimeter, and rheological properties.
I enthusiastically recommend Agrim Bhalla for a career in engineering.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Lynch
