FAU Researcher Earns NSF CAREER Award for Air, Water Purification

Masoud Jahandar Lashaki, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering.

As concerns about air and water pollution intensify, scientists are working to improve the materials that capture harmful contaminants before they reach people and the environment.

Amine-functionalized sorbents - widely used to remove carbon dioxide, toxic gases, heavy metals and "forever chemicals" - play a critical role in pollution control. However, these materials degrade over time when exposed to heat and oxygen, reducing their effectiveness and lifespan. Despite their widespread use, the underlying chemical processes driving this degradation remain poorly understood, limiting efforts to design more durable and efficient solutions.

To address this challenge, Masoud Jahandar Lashaki, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University, has been awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award.

The five-year project titled, "CAREER: Elucidating the Underlying Mechanisms of the Oxidative Degradation of Amine-functionalized Sorbent Materials," is funded by the NSF Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems in the amount of $569,156 and will begin on July 1.

The CAREER award - one of NSF's most competitive honors for early-career faculty - will support Lashaki's efforts to uncover the molecular-level mechanisms responsible for the oxidative degradation of amine-based materials. By identifying how and why these materials break down, the research aims to enable the design of longer-lasting, more reliable technologies for capturing pollutants from air and water. These advancements have the potential to significantly improve indoor and outdoor air quality, reduce environmental contamination and enhance sustainability across multiple industries.

"This CAREER award represents an exciting opportunity to advance fundamental understanding in a field with enormous societal impact," said Lashaki. "By uncovering the mechanisms that limit the performance of these materials, we can design next-generation solutions that are more durable, efficient and accessible - ultimately helping to protect public health and the environment while supporting critical sectors like energy and manufacturing."

Beyond its research goals, the project integrates a strong educational and outreach component designed to broaden participation in science and engineering. The initiative will mentor and train the next generation of engineers and scientists, while also engaging middle and high school students through hands-on learning experiences that connect advanced research to real-world applications. In addition, the project will provide educators with classroom-ready materials to help translate complex environmental challenges into accessible lessons.

The anticipated impacts of this work extend beyond academia. By improving the performance of materials used in carbon capture, pollution control and water treatment, the research will contribute to strengthening economic competitiveness and workforce development in the United States. It also holds promise for enhancing energy security through applications in power generation, waste-to-energy systems and fossil fuel purification. Furthermore, the findings could support national defense and space exploration efforts by improving air quality in enclosed environments such as submarines and spacecraft.

"Professor Lashaki's CAREER award is a testament to the significance and innovation of his research," said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science. "The outcomes of this project have the potential to transform how we design materials for environmental protection and energy systems. This work exemplifies how Florida Atlantic University is driving innovation in critical areas that will have far-reaching impacts on public health, sustainability and technological advancement."

Lashaki's research aligns with key areas including carbon dioxide capture and utilization, mitigation of volatile organic compounds, adsorption technologies, air pollution control, renewable energy and environmental sustainability. His work is also grounded in the principles of industrial ecology, a framework that seeks to minimize environmental impacts by mimicking the closed-loop systems found in nature, where waste from one process becomes a resource for another.

-FAU-