Educational Background

Postdoc, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Potsdam, Germany, 2014

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, 2013

M.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, 2011

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2008

Professional Experience

• Senior member of American Chemical Society
• Senior member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Member of Americal Society of Agricultural and Biological Society 
• Reviewer of funding agencies: Department of Energy-Basic Energy Science (DoE-BES), Department of Energy-Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), National Science Foundation (NSF), CONACYT-Canada, Horizon 2020-EU, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)-Canada
• Reviewer of journals: RSC Materials A, Carbon, Fuel, Energy Fuels, Environmental Science Technology, Bioresource Technology, ACS Sustainable Energy and Engineering, Journal of Cleaner Production, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Bioresources, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Renewable Energy, Chemosphere, Waste Management, Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering, Fuel Processing Technology, Energy Conversion and Management, Environmental Progress.
• Session Chair of AIChE Annual Meetings at 2017, 2018, and 2019
• Session Chair ACS Annual Meeting 2017
• Served as judge for poster competition at AIChE 2017 and 2018 and presentations of ACS 2017
• Served as judge for poster competition at 2^ndHTC Symposium, Berlin, Germany
• Served as judge for District 12 Science Fair, State of Ohio in 2017 and 2018
• Served as judge for Ohio University Student Expo 2017, 2018, 2019
• Adjunct scientist of Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering (ATB), Germany from 08/2014-12/2015

Current Courses

CHE 4151: Chemical Engineering Reactor Design

CHE 4284/5292: Industrial Safety

CHE 3103: Heat Transfer Processes

CHE 3170: Introduction to Environmental Engineering

Selected Publications

2026

1. Bhowmick, R., Reza, T., Glycerol-Assisted Co-Solvothermal Liquefaction of Food Waste: Investigation of Biocrude's Fuel Properties with Proposed Reaction Mechanisms, Journal of the Energy Institute, 2026, 129, 102729.
2. Chambers, C., Abrar, M.F., Grimes, S., Kirtania, K., Reza, T., Techno-economic Analysis and Life-cycle Assessment of Pyrolyzed Hydrochar Production from Waste Corn Stover, Next Sustainability, 2026, 8, 100524.
3. Guidugli, L., Reza, T., Extraction of Phytic Acid from Water using Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents: Insights from VEGA, COSMO-RS, and Experimental Studies, Journal of Separation Science, 2026, in-press.
4. Cheatham, R., Shealy, E., Smith, R., Reza, T., Economic Assessment Comparison of Biochar and Hydrothermal Biochar Production Processes from Sargassum, Processes, 2026, 14(15), 2403.
5. Shokouhimehr, M., Guidugli, L., Smith, R. Knight, C., Devnath, B., Reza, T. Magnetically Retrievable Core@ Shell Nanocomposites for Rare Earth Element Adsorption: Experimental and Machine Learning Insights, Langmuir, 2026, in-press.
6. Devnath B.,, B., Reza, T., Recovery of Slow-Release Multi-Nutrient Matrix from Dairy Manure through Acid-Mediated Mild Hydrothermal Treatment, Waste Management, 2026, 224, 115732.
7. Guidugli, L., Reza, T., Hydrothermal extraction of phytic acid from wheat bran: experimental, thermodynamic, and kinetic evaluation, Chemical Engineering Journal, 2026, 543, 178725.
8. Islam, N., Fotia, V., Reza, T. Tuning Two-Stage Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Food Waste for Biocrude Synthesis, Journal of Energy Institute, 2026, 127, 102628.
9. Bevers, N., Timilsina, A.P., Manandhar, A., Ansari, A., Klingman, M., Witter, J., Arnold, G., Shah, A., Devnath, B., Reza, T., Khanal, S., Evaluating the impact of manure-derived hydrochar soil amendments on greenhouse gas fluxes: A greenhouse experiment using soil mesocosms and corn plants, Journal of Environmental Management, 2026, 414, 130447.
10. Smith, R., Reza, T., Evaluation of Catalytic Biomass–Clay Interactions on Co-Combustion Kinetics and Thermodynamics Using Integral Coats–Redfern Model-Fitting and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa Model-Free Analysis, Processes, 2026, 14 (11), 1819.
11. Devnath B., Khanal, S., Shah, A., Reza, T., Elucidating Hydrochar and Biochar Stabilities and Their Impacts on Environmental Assessment of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Environmental Research Communications, 2026, 8 (6), 065015.
12. Smith, R., Reza, T., Thermogravimetric and Coats-Redfern Analysis of Loblolly Pine and Kaolin Clay Co-Pyrolysis: From Devolatilization to Char-Mineral Transformation, Thermochimica Acta, 2026, 762, 180370.
13. Rahman, M.M., Reza, T., Valorization of Sargassum via hydrothermal co-liquefaction with food waste: Effects of reaction temperature and feedstock ratio on biocrude yield and fuel properties, Energies, 2026, 19 (10), 2277.
14. Guidugli, L., Reza, T., Evaluation of Extraction Efficiency, Thermodynamics, and Kinetics of Selective Rare Earth Elements using TOPO-Stearic Acid Deep Eutectic Solvent, Surface and Interfaces, 2026, 89, 109145.
15. Islam, T., Cheatham, R. T. Karpova, Reza, T., He, X., Spinel MnFeCoNiCuO high-entropy oxides synthesized via aerosol-assisted spray pyrolysis with different temperatures: impacts on oxygen evolution reaction, Applied Surface Science, 2026, 736, 166703.
16. Akbarpour, M., Reza, T., Sadmani, A.H.M.A., A Critical Review of the Application of Biochar in Removing Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from Water Matrices, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2026, 16 (5), 157.
17. Shokouhimehr, M., Kim, D., Reza, T., Lanthanide-compromised metal-organic framework-based nanomaterials: Catalytic chemical transformations and energy conversion perspectives, Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials, 2026, 27 (3), 389-410.
18. Olushola, S.B., Bocus, K.M.A., Devnath, B. Reza, T., Pahinkar, D., Balancing Hydrophobicity, Carbon Dioxide Uptake and Durability of Hydrophobic Porous Adsorbent Coatings, Surfaces and Interfaces, 2026, 108554.
19. Saha, S., Weil, A., Reza, T., Effect of Headspace CO₂ in Hydrothermal Carbonization of Loblolly Pine for In-Situ Functionalization and Its Impact on Carbon Capture, Langmuir, 2026, 42, 5, 3783–3799.

2025

1. Kumar, M., Cheatham, R., Hossain, M. S., Reza, T., Volk, T., Juneja, A., Kumar, D., Valorization of Hydrolysis Residue of Forest Residue Biomass to Green Solid Fuel: Conversion Mechanisms and Fuel Properties, Energies, 2025, 18(23), 6156.
2. Hossain, M.S., Stuart, T., Verma, A., Cheatham, R. Reza, T. Ramarao, B., Runge, T., Kumar, D., Forest residue-derived thermoresponsive nanocellulose adsorbent for efficient removal of short- and long-chain PFAS from water, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 2025, 237(3), 144.
3. Saha, S., Weil, A., Reza, T., Carbon Capture in Zeolite-modified Hydrochar Composite: Effect of ZSM-5 Loading During Hydrothermal Carbonization, ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2025, 2(11), 2261-2273.
4. Guidugli, L., Reza, T., Systematic Evaluation of Stearic Acid -based Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents on the Extraction of Selected Light and Heavy Rare Earth Elements from Water, Journal of Ionic Liquids, 2025, 100176.
5. Rahman, M.M., Reza, T., Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Structurally Diverse Lignins: Insights into Biocrude Yield, Fuel Properties, and Reaction Mechanisms, Energies, 2025, 18(17), 4773.
6. Shokouhimehr, M., Kim, D., Reza, T., Core@shell nanostructured catalysts: Implementation in organic transformations, Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2025, 14(11), e00529.
7. Guidugli, L., Cheatham, R., Reza, T. Systematic Design of Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents by VEGA, COSMO-RS, and Experiments for Efficient Removal of Saxitoxin and Brevetoxin from Water, Chemosphere, 2025, 385, 144595.
8. Guidugli, L., Joshua Calhoun, Cheatham, R., Reza, T. Understanding Flame Retardancy of Phytic Acid-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents by Thermogravimetry, Cone Calorimetry, and Vertical Flame Testing, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemimcal and Engineering Aspects, 2025, 726 (2), 137870.
9. Nayeem, S.M.A., Ahmed, N., Guidugli, L., Ismail, M., Saha, C.K., Reza, T., Kabir, K.B, Kirtania, K., Techno-economic analysis of integrated biohydrogen generation process from biogenic residues of Bangladesh, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2025, 145, 705-716.
10. Cheatham, R.W., Sultana, A.I., Reza, T., Co-activation of Martian Regolith and Hydrochar for Enhanced Water Retention and Water Holding Capacity, Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2025, 189, 107064.
11. Chambers, C., Smith, R., Grimes, S., Weil, A., Reza, T., Exploring the effects of biochar dosage, contact time, initial concentration, and initial pH of water on Saxitoxin Adsorption, Chemosphere, 2025, 370, 143965.
12. Sultana, AI, Reza, T., Techonomic Assessment of Superactivated Hydrochar Production by KOH Impregnation Compared to Direct Chemical Activation, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. 2025, 15 (2), 1957-1969.
13. Sultana, AI, Hasan, S., Saha, S. Kirtania, K., Reza, T., Ultraporous Superactivated Hydrochars from Food Waste: Comparing Environmental Impacts of Char Impregnation versus Direct Chemical Activation Method, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2025, 15(1), 437-448.
14. Saha, N., Klinger, J., Islam, M.T., Reza, T. Egan, K., Yancey, N., Experimental Investigation and Characterization of the Thermal Insulating Behavior of Municipal Solid Waste and its Constituents, Waste and Biomass Valorization, 2025, 16(2), 831-845.

2024

1. Guidugli, L., Cheatham, R., Calhoun, J., Reza, T., Further Understanding of Phytic acid-based Deep Eutectic Solvents as Flame Retardant: COSMO Simulation, Physical Characterization, and Vertical Flame Testing, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 2024, in-press.
2. Ghalandari, V., Reza, T., Acidic Process Fluid from Hydrothermal Carbonization Improves Dechlorination of Waste PVC and Produces Clean Solid and Liquid Fuels, Chemosphere, 2024, in-press.
3. Davis, S., Finn, M., Jenkins, D., Herman, T., Reza, T., Potential for improving nutrient use efficiencies of human food systems with a circular economy of organic wastes and fertilizer, Environmental Research Letters, 2024, in-press.
4. Devnath, B., Khanal, S., Shah, A., Reza, T., Influence of Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) Temperature on Hydrochar and Process Liquid for Poultry, Swine, and Dairy Manure, Environments, 2024, 11 (7), 150.
5. Guidugli, L., Reza, T., Extraction of rare earth elements from water by trioctylphosphine oxide-based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2024, in-press.
6. Chambers, C. Grimes, S., Fire, S., Reza, T., Evaluation of Adsorption Dosage, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Equilibrium of Microcystin-LR and Saxitoxin on Biochar, Nature Scientific Reports, 14 (1), 11058.
7. Ali, M.A., Chambers, C., Reza, T., Aich, N., Application of Corn Stover Derived Pyrolyzed Hydrochars for Efficient Phosphorus Removal from Water: Influence of Pyrolysis Temperature, Chemical Engineering Journal Advances, 2024, 18, 100613.
8. Saha, C.K., Nandi, R., Akhter, S., Hossain, S., Kabir, K.B, Kirtania, K., Islam, M.T, Guidugli, L., Reza, T., Alam, M. Technical Prospects and Challenges of Anaerobic Co-Digestion in Bangladesh: A Review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2024, 197, 114412.
9. Al-Hosainat, A., Nazzal, M.D., Kaya, S. Reza, T. Nano-scale and Macro-scale Characterization of the Effects of Recycled Plastics on the Asphalt Binder Properties, Buildings, 2024, 14(3), 642.
10. Guidugli, L., Reza, T., Fundamental insight on how carbon chain length affects per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances adsorption onto hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2024, 398, 124238.

2023

1. Ghalandari, V., Scannell, A., Smith, H., Reza, T., Solvothermal liquefaction of e-waste thermoplastics: Effect of supercritical toluene temperature and residence time on depolymerization of polyamide, polycarbonate, polyoxymethylene, and polyetheretherketone, Waste Management, 2024, 174, 126-139.
2. Ghalandari, V., Scannell, A, Reza, T., Elucidating Dechlorination of Waste PVC Under High-Temperature Catalytic Hydrothermal Treatment, AIChE Journal, 2024, 70(2), e18274.
3. Chambers, C. Nagar, H., Sharma, S., Reza, T., Elucidating Microcystin-LR Adsorption on Pyrolyzed Hydrochars via Experiments and Molecular Simulations, Journal of Analytic and Applied Pyrolysis, 2023, 176, 106243.
4. Sultana, AI, Hasan, S., Saha, S. Kirtania, K., Reza, T., Ultraporous Superactivated Hydrochars from Food Waste: Comparing Environmental Impacts of Char Impregnation versus Direct Chemical Activation Method, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2023, in-press.
5. Guidugli, L., Chambers, C., Reza, T., Understanding Microcystin-LR Separation by hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents with COSMO simulation and Experimental Findings, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2023, 390 (B), 123139.
6. Mohammadreza Aghaaminiha, Ramin Mehrani, Toufiq Reza, Sumit Sharma, Comparison of machine learning methodologies for predicting kinetics of hydrothermal carbonization of selective biomass, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2023, 13 (11), 9855-9864.
7. Islam, M.T., Saha, N., Klinger, J., Reza, T., Technoeconomic Assessment Comparison of Batch and Continuous Hydrothermal Carbonization of Waste Corn Stover into Advanced Biorefinery Feedstock, Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefinery, 2023, 17 (6), 1668-1680.
8. Saha, S., Islam, M.T., Calhoun, J., Reza, T., Effect of Hydrothermal Carbonization on Fuel and Combustion Properties of Shrimp Shell Waste, Energies, 2023, 16 (14), 5534.
9. Ghalandari, V., Luz, F., Volpe, M., Messino, A., Reza, T., Role of Acidic Hydrochar on Dechlorination of Waste PVC in High Temperature Co-Hydrothermal Treatment and Fuel Properties Enhancement of Solid Residues, Waste Management, 2023, 169, 125-136.
10. Sultana, AI, Cheatham, R., Reza, T., Unveiling Role of Biopolymers in Altering Surface Porosity to Enhance CO₂ Capture Capacity of Biomass-Derived Activated Hydrochars, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, in-press.
11. Quaid, T., Reza, T., Mechanistic Understanding on Difluoromethane Absorption Thermodynamics on Novel Deep Eutectic Solvents by COSMO-based Molecular Simulation, Applied Sciences, 2023, 13 (10), 6182.
12. Chambers, C. Saha, S., Grimes, S., Calhoun, J., Reza, T., Physical and Morphological Alteration of Sargassum-derived Ultraporous Superactivated Hydrochar Resulting in Remarkable Cationic Dye Adsorption, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2023, in-press.
13. Quaid, T., Reza, T., COSMO-RS Predictive Screening of Type 5 Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents for Selective Platform Chemicals Absorption, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2023, 121918.
14. Quaid, T., Reza, T., COSMO-RS Prediction of Selective Siloxane Compounds Absorption on Type 3 and Type 5 Deep Eutectic Solvents, Chemical Engineering Journal Advances, 2023, 1000489.
15. Sultana, AI, Cheatham, R., Reza, T., Deep Eutectic Solvent Pretreatment Alters Surface Morphology and Functionality of Activated Hydrochar Resulting in Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Capture, Journal of CO­₂ Utilization, 2023, 68, 102350
16. Islam, Md Tahmid; Klinger, Jordan L.; Reza, M. Toufiq, Evaluating Combustion Characteristics and Combustion Kinetics of Corn Stover-derived Hydrochars by Cone Calorimeter, Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023, 452, 139419.
17. Hossain, S., Akter, S., Saha, C.K., Reza, T., Kabir, K.B., Kirtania, K., A comparative life cycle assessment of anaerobic mono- and co-digestion of livestock manure in Bangladesh, Waste Management, 2023, 157, 100-109.
18. Hossain, S., Saha, C.K., Ismail, M., Reza, T., Kabir, K.B., Kirtania, K., Prospects and Challenges of Renewable Hydrogen Generation in Bangladesh, International Journal for Hydrogen Energy, 2023, 48(54), 20588-20612.
19. Islam, M.T., Reza, T., Evaluation of Fuel and Combustion Properties of Hydrochar Derived from Co-Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biomass and Plastic, Biomass Bioenergy, 2023, 172, 106750
20. Saha, N., Klinger, J., Islam, M.T., Reza, T., Advanced biorefinery feedstock from non-recyclable municipal solid waste by mechanical preprocessing, Frontiers in Fuels, 2023, 1, 1105637.

2022

1. (Invited) Islam, Md Tahmid; Al Ibtida Sultana, Cadianne Chambers, Swarna Saha, Nepu Saha, Kawnish Kirtania, Reza, M. Toufiq, Recent Progress on Emerging Applications of Hydrochar, Energies, 2022, 15 (24), 9340
2. Abu-Taher Jamal-Uddin, M. Toufiq Reza, Omid Norzi, Shakirudeen A. Salaudeen, Animesh Dutta, and Richard G. Zytner, Recovery and reuse of valuable chemicals derived from hydrothermal carbonization process liquid, Energies, in-press
3. Ghalandari, V., Smith, H., Volpe, M., Messino, A., Reza, T., Effect of Acidic Hydrochar on Plastic Crude Oil Produced from Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Waste PVC, Processes, 2022, in-press.
4. Sultana, AI, Chambers, C., Ahmed, M.N., Pathirathna, P., and Reza, T., Multifunctional Loblolly Pine- Derived Superactivated Hydrochar: Effect of Hydrothermal Carbonization on Hydrogen and Electron Storage with CarbonDioxide and Dye Removal, Nanomaterials, 2022, 12, 3575.
5. (Featured Paper) Quaid, T., Ghalandari, V., Reza, T., Effect of Synthesis Process, Synthesis Temperature, and Reaction Time on Chemical, Morphological, and Quantum Properties of Carbon Dots Derived from Loblolly Pine, Biomass Journal, 2022, 2, 250–263.
6. Banivaheb, S., Ghalandari, V., Smith, H., Reza, Toufiq, SolvX: Solvothermal Conversion of Mixed Waste Plastics in Supercritical Toluene in Presence of Pd/C Catalyst, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2022, 10, 108622.
7. Chauhan , N., Accornero, F., Sultana, A.I., Ege, F., Reza, M.T., Pahinkar, D., Synthesis and Characterization of MIL – 101 (Cr) Adsorbent Coating on Microchannel Walls for Water Adsorption Heat Pumps, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 2022, 61, 39, 14573–14585.
8. (Invited) Ghalandari, V., Banivaheb, S., Peterson, J., Smith, H., Reza, T., Solvothermal Liquefaction of Waste Polyurethane using supercritical toluene in presence of noble metal catalysts, AICHE Journal, Future Issues 2022, in-press.
9. (Editorial) Toufiq Reza, Hydrothermal conversion, Energies2022, 15(15), 5491.
10. Sultana, AI, Reza, T., Investigation of hydrothermal carbonization and chemical activation process conditions on hydrogen storage in loblolly pine-derived superactivated hydrochars, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2022, 47 (62), 26422-26434.
11. Islam, Md Tahmid; Cadianne Chambers, Klinger, Jordan L.; Reza, M. Toufiq, Blending Hydrochar Improves Hydrophobic Properties of Corn Stover Pellets, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. 2022, In press
12. Sultana, AI, Reza, T., Techonomic Assessment of Superactivated Hydrochar Production by KOH Impregnation Compared to Direct Chemical Activation, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. 2022, In-press
13. Md Tahmid Islam, Cadianne Chambers, Toufiq Reza, Effects of Process Liquid Recirculation on Material Properties of Hydrochar and Corresponding Adsorption of Cationic Dye, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2022, 161, 105418.
14. Nepu Saha, Helal Uddin, Toufiq Reza, Preliminary Safety Evaluation of Solvothermal Liquefaction of Plastic Wastes using Toluene as Solvent, Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 2022. 24 (3), 801-813.

2021

1. (Invited Publication) Nepu Saha, Soudeh Banivaheb, Toufiq Reza, Towards Solvothermal Upcycling of Mixed Plastic Wastes: Depolymerization Pathways of #5 – #7 Plastics in Sub-and Supercritical Toluene, Energy Conversion and Management X, 2021, 100158.
2. (Invited Publication) Islam, Md Tahmid; Sultana, Al Ibtida; Saha, Nepu; Klinger, Jordan L.; Reza, M. Toufiq, Deep Eutectic Solvent Pretreatment Enhances Fuel Properties of Hydrochar, I&EC Research. Invited Manuscript for the 2021 Class of Influential Researchers. 2021, 60 (43), 15479-15491
3. (Editorial) Toufiq Reza, Thematic issue: Hydrothermal conversion of biomass, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2021, In press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01927-7
4. Al Ibtida Sultana, Nepu Saha, Toufiq Reza, Upcycling simulated food wastes into superactivated hydrochar for remarkable hydrogen storage, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2021, 159, 105322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2021.105322
5. Mohammadreza Aghaaminiha, Ramin Mehrani, Toufiq Reza, Sumit Sharma, Comparison of machine learning methodologies for predicting kinetics of hydrothermal carbonization of selective biomass, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2021, In press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01858-3
6. MaurizioVolpe, Fabio Codignole Luz, Nepu Saha, Toufiq Reza, Maryanne Mosonik, Roberto Volpe, Antonio Messineo, Enhancement of energy and combustion properties of hydrochar via citric acid catalysed secondary char production, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2021.

7. Kyle McGaughy, M. Toufiq Reza, Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium of Deep Eutectic Solvent-Aromatic-Aliphatic Ternary Systems: Experimental Study with COSMO Model Predictions, Processes 2021, 9(7), 1169; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9071169

8. Thomas Quaid, Toufiq Reza, Carbon Capture from Biogas by Deep Eutectic Solvents: A COSMO Study to Evaluate the Effect of Impurities on Solubility and Selectivity, Clean Technologies, 2021, 3 (2), 490-502.

9. Danhui Xin, Nepu Saha, Toufiq Reza, Jeffrey Hudson, Pei Chiu, Pyrolysis Creates Electron Storage Capacity of Black Carbon (Biochar) from Lignocellulosic Biomass, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 2021, 9 (19), 6821-6831.

10. Nepu Saha, Kyle McGaughy, Sarah Davis, Toufiq Reza, Assessing Hydrothermal Carbonization as Sustainable Home Sewage Management for Rural Counties: A Case Study from Appalachian Ohio, Science of the Total Environment, 2021, 781, 146648.

11. Pretom Saha, Nepu Saha, Shanta Mazumder, Toufiq Reza, Transformation of Sulfur during Co-Hydrothermal Carbonization of Coal Waste and Food Waste, Energies, 2021, 14 (8): 2271.

12. Md. Tahmid Islam, Nepu Saha, Sergio Hernandez, Jordan Klinger, Toufiq Reza, Integration of Air Classification and Hydrothermal Carbonization to Enhance Energy Recovery of Corn Stover, Energies, 2021, 14 (5), 1397.

13. Md. Rifat Hasan, Nepu Saha, Thomas Quaid, Toufiq Reza, Formation of Carbon Quantum Dots via Hydrothermal Carbonization: Investigate the Effect of Precursors, Energies, 2021, 14 (4), 986.

14. Al Ibtida Sultana, Nepu Saha, Toufiq Reza, Synopsis of factors affecting hydrogen storage in biomass-derived activated carbons, Sustainability, 2021, 13 (4), 1947.

 

Recognition & Awards

• 2025 Service Excellence Award, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Florida Tech
• 2024 Charles E. Helmstetter Award for Excellence in Research, Florida Tech
• 2023 Research Excellence Award, College of Engineering and Science, Florida Tech
• 2023 Research Excellence Award, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Florida Tech
• 2023 Teaching Excellence Award, Chemical Engineering Program, Florida Tech
• 2022 ASABE New Holland Young Researcher Award
• 2022 FASABE Outstanding Young Investigator Award
• 2022 Research Excellence Award, Chemical Engineering Program, Florida Institute of Technology
• Contributor of 2022 Future Issues, AIChE Journal
• World’s Top 2% Cited Researcher in 2020, 2021, and 2022
• I&EC Research’s 2021 Class of Influential Researchers- the Americas
• American Chemical Society- Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF) Award 2019
• Marvan E. and Ann D. White Research Award 2019, Russ College of Engineering, Ohio University
• Innovation Strategy Award 2016 and 2017, Ohio University
• Stocker faculty enrichment award 2016, 2017, and 2018, Ohio University
• Recognition as Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher 2013, by the Governor, State of Nevada
• Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher award 2013, UNR

Research

Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC): In this process, wet biomass (e.g., garbage, food waste, animal waste, sewage sludge, mixed plastics) are treated at high temperature and high pressure. Water being a reaction medium for HTC is beneficial as the wet biomass could be utilized without expensive drying. Depending on process conditions and catalysts, HTC process yields solid fuel (hydrochar), liquid fuel (biocrude), and renewable natural gas (methane). Solid hydrochar could also be activated for energy storage and use to adsorb contaminants from water. 

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES): This is a new class of solvents targeted for specific applications including but not limited to BTX from naphtha, platform chemicals from HTC process water, clean-up oil spills, and wastewater treatment from power plants. DES are mixtures of two or more components (i.e., hydrogen-bond acceptor (HBA) and hydrogen-bond donor (HBD) molecules) with melting points significantly lower than either of their individual components.

Pyrolysis and Torrefaction: Dry biomass could be converted to biochar, solid fuel, or liquid biocrude at high temperature in inert atmosphere. Torrefaction occurs at 200-350 C, where volatile materials from biomass leaves an energy dense solid fuel. Meanwhile, pyrolysis occurs at 350-650 C, where a carbon-rich porous biochar formed. Biochar can be used as carbon sequestration, soil amendment, and slow-release fertilizer.

Research Fundings:

On-going Projects (Total Budget: $8 M)

1. INV 70: Demonstration of a QuickReef® for Nutrient Reduction and Water Quality Improvement in the Treasure Coast, FL, 07/2026 – present, Toufiq Reza (PI), Turingan, R. (co-PI), Encomio, V. (UF/IFAS-co-PI), Total Budget: $999 K, Reza Portion: $845 K.
2. Evaluating Biochar-based Seagrass Restoration Technology for Indian River Lagoon, FL Sea Grant, 02/2026 – present, Toufiq Reza (PI), Turingan, R. (co-PI), McCoy, K. (FOS-co-PI), Total Budget: $200 K, Reza Portion: $59 K.
3. INV 56: Control of HABs by Poly-Aluminum Chloride-modified Biochar, FL Department of Environmental Protection, 09/2025- present, Toufiq Reza (PI), Lovko (Mote, co-PI), Total budget: $999K. Reza portion: $387K.
4. Evaluation of a novel modified biochar technology for simultaneous Red Tide mitigation, nutrient reduction, and carbon sequestration, EPA Region 4, Reza (PI) and Lovko (Mote), 06/2025 – present, $500 K. Reza Portion: $315K.
5. HABCTI26: Mitigation of HABs by Dinoflagellate Cyst Inhibition using Modified Biochar, 09/2026 – present, Reza (PI), Fire (co-PI) and Lovko (Mote-co-PI), Total budget: $197K, Reza Portion: $139K.
6. Remediation of Alexandrium, Pyrodinium, and Karenia along with their Toxins by PAC-Modified Biochar, NOAA U.S. HAB CTI, Reza(PI), Turingan, and Lovko (Mote), 09/2024 – present, $200 K
7. EARTHSHOT: Biological routes for synthesizing the industrial platform chemical, propylene, from deconstructed lignin waste and captured carbon dioxide produced during lignin valorization into bio-oil, DOE-Office of Science, North (OSU-PI), Reza (FIT-PI), 12/2023- present, $2.1 M, $750 K (FIT budget)
8. PARTNERSHIP: Sustainable hydrothermal manure management practice to improve nutrient use efficiency for enhanced agroecosystem services, USDA-NIFA-AFRI, Khanal (OSU-PI), Reza (co-PI), 08/2023- present, $800 K
9. INFEWS/T2: Organic Waste Lifecycles at the interface of Food, Energy, Water Systems (OWL-FEWs), 10/2019-present, NSF, Derek Kauneckis (PI), M. Toufiq Reza (co-PI), Total budget $2,000,000, FIT Budget $292,000

Completed Projects (Total: $3.5 M)

1. Development and Optimization of Mild Hydrothermal Preprocessing for High Ash Biomass into Pelletized Biorefinery Feedstocks, 10/2019- 09/2024; S. Department of Agriculture, M. Toufiq Reza (PI), $943,000
2. Controlling Pyrodinium Outbreaks of Tampa Bay Estuary by Low-Cost Biochar, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, 08/2022 – 07/2025, Toufiq Reza (PI), Fire, Lovko (Mote), $104 K
3. Prevention and Control of Harmful Algal Blooms in St. Lucie Estuary by Low-cost Sargassum-derived Biochar, EPA-R4-South Florida Geographic Initiative, 02/2022 – 01/2025, Toufiq Reza (PI), Fire (FIT), Encomio (UF), Ellis (GCS LLC.), $330 K
4. Controlling Pyrodinium Outbreaks in the Indian River Lagoon Estuarine System (IRLES) using Low- cost Biochars, Florida Sea Grant Office, 12/2021-01/2024, Toufiq Reza (PI), Fire (FIT), Sadmani (UCF), $187 K
5. Engineered Solutions for Prevention and Control of Eutrophication using Novel Biosorbents, USDA-NIFA-ARFI, 07/2021- 06/2025, Toufiq Reza (PI) Aich-UB (co-PI), Sharma-OU (co-PI), $450 K
6. Simultaneous Adsorption of Red Tide and Brevotoxins by Low-Cost Clay-Biochar Complex, Red Tide Initiative, 08/2022 – present, Toufiq Reza (PI), Fire, Lovko (Mote), $75 K
7. Renewable Hydrogen Generation with Carbon Recycling (ReHyCaRe) from Biogenic Residues of Bangladesh, USAID, 04/2021 – present, Kirtania- BUET-Bangladesh (PI), Saha – BAU-Bangladesh (co-PI), Islam- DU-Bangladesh (co-PI), Reza (co-PI), $174 K
8. Thermodynamics and Kinetics of BTX Phase Transfer from Alkanes to Phosphonium-based Deep Eutectic Solvents: Experimental Studies and Computational Modeling, 09/2019-08/2022, ACS-PRF-DNI, M. Toufiq Reza (PI), $110,000
9. Value-added products from rural wastes, 06/2019-06/2022, Sugar Bush Foundation, M. Toufiq Reza (PI), $202,000
10. Novel Hydrothermal Upgrading of Coal Refuse-Biomass Blend into High Quality Solid Fuel, 04/2018-present, Ohio Coal Development Office, M. Toufiq Reza (PI), $156,105
11. Novel CO₂-SO₂ Co-capture Process by Deep Eutectic Solvents, 07/2017-08/2018, Ohio Development Service Agency, M. Toufiq Reza (PI), $93,000
12. Reclaiming abandoned lands with co-production of biofuels and high value bioproducts, Ohio University Innovation Strategy Award, Sarah Davis (PI), M. Toufiq Reza (Co-PI), $20,000
13. OHIO Multistage FGD Wastewater Sensor: Application of Ion Selective Electrode (ISE) based sensor modules for real-time multi-points water quality monitoring of Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) wastewater, 01/2017- 01/2019, Ohio Coal Development Office, M. Toufiq Reza (PI), $160,000
14. Gasification of biocarbons produced from hydrothermal carbonization of manure, 08/2016- 06/2018, Western Sun Grant Initiative prime US Department of Agriculture, M. Toufiq Reza (PI), $60,000
15. Ohio Coke based Carbon Quantum Dots for Supercapacitor, 01/2017- 06/2019, Ohio Coal Development Office, John Staser (PI), M. Toufiq Reza (co-PI), $160,000
16. Preventing a Bust: Innovations for Sustainable & Enhanced Economic Outcomes from Shale, 05/ 2016- 12/2018, Innovation Award, Ohio University, David Bayless (PI), M. Toufiq Reza (co-PI), $1,600,000
17. Novel Thermal Treatment Process for Recovery of Nutrients in Animal-Derived Wastes, 01/2016-12/2016, Ohio Water Development Board, Jason Trembly (PI), M. Toufiq Reza (co-PI) $200,000