Attend a seminar on 3D printing of biomass-fungi composite materials, Dec. 5
Join the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, as they host Zhijian Pei, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Texas A&M University.
About
Zhijian Pei is a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Texas A&M University and holds the Mike and Sugar Barnes Professor II. Before joining Texas A&M, he was the inaugural professor in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Kansas State University. He has held national leadership roles, including assistant director for research partnerships at the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, hosted by the program director for the Manufacturing Machines and Equipment program at the National Science Foundation. Pei has made significant contributions to the manufacturing field, serving on multiple journal editorial boards and authoring more than 230 journal articles and 160 conference papers. He has graduated 20 doctoral students and currently advises eight. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Manufacturing Engineers and Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, and he earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Abstract
This presentation introduces a 3D printing manufacturing method that produces environmentally friendly products from biomass–fungi composite materials. Agricultural waste, such as wheat straw and switchgrass, serves as a nutrient source for fungi, which grow through the biomass and bind it into solid structures, offering a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics for applications in packaging, furniture and construction. The talk will summarize experimental studies on the effects of mixture composition, mixing and waiting time on print quality and material performance and will conclude with key research challenges and future directions for this emerging manufacturing approach. This work is supported by a NSF Future Manufacturing research grant.
3D printing of biomass-fungi composite materials seminar
Friday, Dec. 5, 2025
11 a.m.–noon
Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ITSB12) room 215, Polytechnic campus [map]