BSE doctoral student's presentation on bio-resin application for 3D-printing houses places first at ASABE
Published: Feb 19, 2024 4:15 PM
By Jeremy Henderson
Auburn's Department of Biosystems Engineering shows no signs of changing its award-winning ways for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).
The most recent example? Doctoral student Manish Sakhakarmy, whose oral presentation on the pyrolysis of Douglas firs, eucalyptus and poplar trees for novolac resin production recently placed first in the oral / poster competition at the ASABE Annual International Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.
A few weeks before winning the competition, ASABE also ranked Sakhakarmy among the top 15% of student presenters in terms of presentation excellence.
"I think the clear picture of my work, along with the simplicity of my slides and proper delivery during my presentation, impressed the judges," Sakhakarmy said. "For my project, I pyrolyzed different woody biomass to obtain the bio-oil used for bio-based resin synthesis applications."
Applications like 3D-printed homes.
"We aim to use bio-based resin for the additive manufacturing of houses," Sakhakarmy said. "Additive manufacturing of houses using bio-based resin makes construction sustainable and eco-friendly."
And it's exactly why Sakhakarmy chose Auburn.
"During my master's, my work focused on 3D printing, and I found my peer-reviewed works by my current advisor, Dr. Sushil Adhikari," he said. "I was fascinated to learn about the bio-based resin synthesis process being developed in Auburn's Department of Biosystems Engineering. I wanted to learn from the best, so I chose Auburn."
Sakhakarmy expects to complete his Ph.D. in December.
"After Auburn, I plan to work as a researcher either in a university or in industry, working on sustainable products such as bio-resin and biofuel," he said.
Along those lines, his recent kudos should give him plenty of options.
"The ASABE award was my first after starting my graduate studies in the United States," he said. "It was very exciting and, of course, an honor."
Manish Sakhakarmy at the 2023 ASABE Annual International Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.
