By Kevin DeWhitt, Founder & CEO, PDO Technologies - February 6-7, 2025
The agricultural industry has long benefited from plastic mulch films, which help improve crop yields, conserve water, and suppress weeds. However, the end-of-life (EOL) management of these materials remains a significant challenge. Many conventional polyethylene (PE) mulch films are difficult to recycle due to contamination with soil, pesticides, and organic matter, leading to disposal methods such as landfilling or incineration—both of which have environmental consequences.
Recognizing the need for innovative recycling solutions, Washington State University (WSU) was awarded an $8.0 million Specialized Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grant from the USDA in the fall of 2022 to explore sustainable strategies for managing EOL plastic mulch films in strawberry production systems. This four-year initiative brings together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and industry experts, including PDO Technologies, which is honored to be the only commercial entity actively participating in the grant.
Advancing Recycling Technologies for Mulch Film
As part of the grant’s Recycling Working Group (Objective #2), PDO Technologies collaborates with leading Washington State University-Pullman and California State University-Chico to explore and optimize three key recycling pathways for conventional PE mulch films:
Conversion to pyrolysis oil – Led by PDO Technologies, this approach focuses on using small-scale advanced recycling technology to convert mulch film waste into high-value pyrolysis oil, which can be further refined into circular polymer feedstock or for island economies, fuel applications.
Incorporation into composite materials – Led by Dr. Karl Englund (WSU), this effort investigates how PE mulch film can be integrated into composite material applications for durable product manufacturing.
Incorporation into asphalt material – Led by Dr. Kun Zhang (Chico State, California), this research explores how processed mulch film can be used as a component in asphalt applications.
Key Discussions at the Annual SCRI CAP Grant Meeting
On February 6-7, 2025, the entire SCRI team—including all six working groups—convened at the University of Florida Research Center in Tampa for their annual meeting. Each working group presented its quarterly findings, followed by a visit to the local mulch field trial managed by the University of Florida team, where researchers reviewed experimental designs and results firsthand.
The second day included visits to a local strawberry grower near the UF Gulf Coast Research Center, followed by a trip to RLC Operations (formerly Recypoly)—an industrial material recovery facility (MRF) specializing in mulch film plastic recovery.
PDO’s Collaboration with RLC Operations
During the visit to RLC Operations, I had the opportunity to meet with Ismael Rodriguez, President of RLC Operations, alongside Gene Jones, an advisory board member for the WSU SCRI grant. Our discussion centered on the potential pathways for processing dirty, discarded PE mulch film into a viable feedstock for PDO’s advanced recycling technology.
Key topics included:
Current methods used by RLC to clean mulch film plastic and how they align with PDO’s processing requirements.
Operational costs associated with mulch film recycling and potential economic models for sustainable processing.
Scalability of the process and how PDO’s small-scale advanced recycling units could be deployed in agricultural regions.
A Collaborative Path Forward
The WSU SCRI initiative provides a critical framework for tackling one of the biggest sustainability challenges in modern agriculture: how to effectively recycle plastic mulch films at scale. Through partnerships between academia and industry, including WSU, Chico State, RLC Operations, and PDO Technologies, we are collectively exploring practical solutions that can divert this material from landfills and give it a second life in applications such as circular plastic feedstock production, composite materials, and infrastructure projects.
PDO Technologies remains committed to advancing small-scale, deployable solutions that provide economically viable and environmentally sustainable options for agricultural plastic waste. We look forward to continuing our work with the WSU SCRI grant team and expanding industry collaborations to ensure that plasticulture materials are part of the circular economy rather than contributing to waste and pollution.
Kevin DeWhitt
Founder & CEO, PDO Technologies
Kommentare