Dr. Charles Hillyer, interim associate vice president of the California Water Institute, received a $50,000 contribution from Jain Irrigation, Inc. for the project “Closing the loop on sustainable plasticulture.”

The funding is part of an Irrigation Innovation Consortium research project grant to the Center for Irrigation Technology to explore a closed-loop approach to re-manufacturing single-use dripline into thick-walled dripline, a potentially valuable proposition for the irrigation industry as it strives to create sustainable products and support production systems.

The project has two parts: 1) conduct an economic feasibility study on utilizing recycled plastics from drip irrigation and 2) conduct laboratory and field performance testing on thick-walled drip tubing manufactured from recycled plastic. Generous contributions by Jain Irrigation Inc. and DOW Chemical will enable more sustainable use of irrigation plastics in agriculture.

Dr. Mohan B. Dangi, professor, Geography and City and Regional Planning, was awarded an Embassy Science Fellowship for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.