Manish Mosalpuri

Bio

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates.

I am a graduate student intern in ORNL's Graduate Research Program (GRO).

I am a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University, specializing in renewable energy applications. My research involves conducting techno-economic analyses (TEA) and life cycle assessments (LCA) for the electrochemical conversion of waste nitrates—sourced from agricultural runoffs, nuclear power plants, and slaughterhouses—into hydroxylamine (NH2OH), a valuable chemical intermediate. Additionally, I am working on energy storage solutions using thermophotovoltaic technology, which stores electricity as heat and converts it back to electricity on demand for buildings.

I enjoy expressing my creativity through drawing and watercolor painting in my free time. I am also passionate about music, cricket, history, philosophy, nature documentaries, and TV series.

Professional Experience

Ph.D. Research Projects, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Research Assistant | Aug ‘21 – Present

• Electrochemical Conversion of waste NO₃^- to hydroxylamine (NH₂OH)                      (Aug ‘21 – Present)

  Guides: Prof. Mark Mba-Wright, ME, Iowa State University and Prof. Wenzhen Li, CBE, Iowa State University

  • Conducted a techno-economic analysis (TEA) and a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the process
  • Obtained a market-competitive price and lesser environmental impacts for the eco-manufacturing pathway
  • Optimized the electrochemical system to obtain a projected minimum NH₂OH production cost

• Evaluation of Thermophotovoltaic Systems as a Clean Energy Generation and Storage Technology: Prototype Build and Techno-Economic Analysis                                                            (May ‘22 –  Jun ‘22)

  Guides: Prof. Mark Mba-Wright, ME, Iowa State University, and Prof. Fatima Toor, ECE, University of Iowa

  • Evaluated energy storage costs for a latent heat TPV (LHTPV) unit for a commercial building in Iowa
  • Built a Python-based TEA model to optimize and calculate the energy storage cost

Masters’ Thesis, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, INDIA

Department of Energy Science and Engineering (DESE), May ‘19 – Jun ‘20

• Pyrolysis of waste PET

  Guide: Prof. Seethamraju Srinivas, Department of Energy Science and Engineering, IIT Bombay

  • Focused on maximizing benzene yield via catalytic pyrolysis of PET plastic using calcium oxide (CaO), calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2], and CaO on zeolite support as catalysts.
  • Optimized critical process parameters, including reaction temperature, catalyst loading, and heating rate, to enhance production efficiency.

Education

Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA                                                                                           (Aug ’21 – Present)

• PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Minor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
• GPA: 3.83/4.00

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India                                                           (Jul ’15 – Jul ‘20)

• Dual Degree (Bachelor’s and Master’s) in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering
• GPA: 7.88/10.00
• GPA (Master’s Project): 9.58/10.00

Other Publications