Funmilayo Adesina is analyzing the ability to recycle plastic mulch films as part of WSU’s USDA grant 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘯𝘥-𝘰𝘧-𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴. Alongside advisors Karl Englund and Hui Li, Funmi’s research focuses on developing sustainable solutions for recycling and adding value to agricultural polyethylene mulch films. By investigating how soil contamination affects processing and material performance, she is using feedstock characterization, thermal, mechanical and rheological analyses to better understand the interactions between soil particles and polymer behavior. This work aims to establish acceptable contamination levels that can improve recycling efficiency and expand the reuse of agricultural plastics.

Check out MulchMatters for more details on this work.

Read more about WSU’s USDA grant here: https://lnkd.in/ecpYbQXc