MD MOSHIUR RAHMAN TUSHAR
Arizona State University, PhD in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering
EREF Scholar 2026
Project Title
Circular Membrane Systems for PFAS Separation and Resource Recovery from Landfill Leachate
Project Description
Landfills produce a polluted liquid called leachate when water passes through buried waste. This liquid can contain PFAS, often called “forever chemicals”, which are difficult to remove and can eventually reach surrounding water sources. At the same time, landfill leachate contains organic compounds that could potentially be recovered and reused rather than treated simply as waste. Tushar’s research focuses on developing specialized membranes that can separate harmful PFAS from landfill leachate while also recovering useful organic acids. The goal is to create a treatment process that does more than remove contaminants. Instead ,the research explores how landfill leachate can be treated as a potential source of valuable materials while reducing secondary waste produced during treatment. Tushar will also evaluate the energy requirements, environmental impacts, and the economic feasibility of the process at a larger scale. Ultimately, this research aims to develop a membrane platform that combines selective PFAS separation with organic acid recovery from landfill leachate, thereby reducing secondary waste and supporting circular resource use.
Biography
Md Moshiur Rahman Tushar earned his BS in Leather Engineering from Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), Bangladesh, where he studied from 2016 to 2020. He completed his MS in Civil Engineering at Georgia Southern University, where his research focused on the sustainability of PFAS treatment technologies. His graduate research evaluated the environmental performance and cost of PFAS treatment approaches using life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA). In recognition of this work, he was awarded the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) scholarship in 2024 to support his MS research. His MS thesis resulted in publications in Nature Communications, and npj Clean Water. He began his PhD in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University in Summer 2026 and expects to graduate in 2031. His current doctoral research focuses on developing circular membrane systems for selective PFAS separation and resource recovery from landfill leachate. His work aims to design selective membranes that can separate PFAS while enabling the recovery of valuable organic acids, with environmental and economic performance evaluated through LCA and TEA.
