Short biography

Prof. Tarek Rashwan is researching various multidisciplinary topics alongside students and international collaborators that support a safe, low-carbon, and circular economy. These topics include assessing hydrogeological conditions for safe nuclear waste repositories, exploring underground hydrogen storage and maritime hydrogen transport systems, critiquing equity and environmental degradation in lithium-ion battery supply chains, and furthering the scientific understanding and application of a novel thermochemical waste treatment technique based on smouldering combustion. His core research is on smouldering, with over 15 years experience on the topic.  His current waste smouldering projects further its application for improved sustainability and resource circularity, e.g., through curbing carbon emissions, improving PFAS destruction, and recovering resources such as phosphorus from challenging wastes. He obtained his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a specialization in Environment & Sustainability from the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada under the supervision of Dr. Jason Ian Gerhard. He is an Honorary Lecturer at University College London, a Visiting Academic at the Open University, and a registered professional engineer in Ontario, Canada.

Research areas

Waste Management
Smouldering Combustion
Thermal Treatment
Resource Recovery
Process Scale-up
PFAS Treatment

Publications

He has authored and co-authored 34 papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented findings in over 70 presentations at international conferences, including 20 invited lectures. He has co-authored a technical report for Nuclear Waste Management Organization (Canada), a book chapter “Applied Smouldering Combustion for Supporting a Circular Economy”, and a patent “Method for Generating or Recovering Materials through Smoldering Combustion”.