John Rey A Romal

Dr. John Romal is a multidisciplinary environmental engineering chemist whose research and teaching lie at the intersection of sustainable materials science, separation process engineering, and environmental remediation. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Water Quality-focused Environmental Engineering and an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from Iowa State University. His doctoral research focused on the development of functional bio-based hydrogels for the selective recovery of rare earth elements. His broader research interests include the fabrication of novel functional materials and the design of separation processes aimed at recovering critical materials from waste feedstocks, as well as the treatment of emerging environmental contaminants. He has served as Principal Investigator and Co-PI on funded research projects focused on the recovery of rare earth elements and the development of novel chelating materials. His mentoring portfolio includes undergraduate researchers across environmental engineering, chemistry, and biological sciences.

Dr. Romal brings over a decade of experience that bridges academia, research, and industry. He is committed to sustainable innovation, interdisciplinary education, and the advancement of solutions to some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges.

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering specialized in Water Quality-focused Environmental Engineering (2024), Iowa State University        
• M.S. in Organic Chemistry (2016), Iowa State University
• B.S. in Chemistry (2013), Benedictine University
• B.S. in Physics with a minor in Mathematics (2013), Benedictine University          

• Lecturer of Environmental Engineering (2024-present), University of Wisconsin-Platteville
• Instructor of Chemistry (2021-2024), Grand View University
• Environmental Engineering Lab Manager/Research Scientist (2018-2021), Iowa State University
• Synthetic Organic Chemistry (2017-2018), Hach Company
• HPLC Laboratory Analyst (2016-2017), Eurofins 

1. Romal*, J., Cheng, M-H, Ong, S.K., The recovery of dysprosium(III) using a modified phosphorylated chitosan resin by Rapid Small-Scale Column Testing and its environmental impact assessment. Journal of Environmental Management, 2025, 380, 125117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125117.

2. Romal*, J.; Ong, S. Opportunity for a greener recovery of dysprosium(III) from secondary sources by a novel Mannich reaction-modified phosphorylated chitosan hydrogel. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024, 237, 131449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131449.

3. Romal*, J.; Ong, S.K., Marine polysaccharide-based hydrogels for critical materials selective removal and recovery: a review, Coordination Chemistry Review 2023, 482, 215054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccr.2023.215054

4. Romal*, J.; Ong, S.K., Single step fabrication of a dual-sensitive chitosan hydrogel by C-Mannich reaction: Synthesis, physicochemical properties, and screening of its Cu2+ uptake, Processes 2023, 11(2), 354.https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11020354

5. Romal*, J.; Ong, S.K., Extending the Library of 4-Hydroxycoumarin Derivatives with Potential Pharmacological Activity by a Catalyst-Free and Purification-Free Method, ChemistrySelect 2023, 8, e202300519. https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202300519. 

*Corresponding author