Photo courtesy of USDA

More than 20 years after Kesterson Reservoir was linked to adverse health effects in wildlife, intensive research is still being done to find new ways of controlling the selenium that poisons drainage water in the Central Valley.

For the past five years, Fresno State has been working with the USDA on a project that may not only decrease selenium levels in the soil and provide feed meal for livestock but also generate an eco-friendly biofuel in the process.

Gary Banuelos, Ph.D., of the USDA̢۪s Agricultural Research Service and an adjunct professor at Fresno State, spent more than 20 years investigating the effects of selenium on crops and animals. Trials are now underway on Holstein and Jersey cows at Fresno State̢۪s dairy to determine the amount and side effects of selenium in their blood.

“All the animal farmers of any sort, they don’t know chemicals on the periodic chart, but they all know the animals need selenium,â€Â Banuelos said, noting that selenium in crops has recently been found to reduce colon cancer in animals.

Chemical element 34 on the periodic table, selenium is closely related to sulfur. It is toxic in high concentrations, but if not in excess of 55 micrograms, it is an essential micronutrient for animals and for humans. Because it moves readily in water and is particularly present in irrigation runoff, selenium threatens rivers and lakes and the wildlife that depend on them.

Banuelos said that because selenium absorbs readily into crops such as corn and canola, these crops can extract large amounts of the chemical from drainage water during irrigation. The seed from canola can be used to make oil or can be pressed and processed to form clean B20 biofuel for diesel-powered engines. Fresno State chemistry professor Alam Hasson, who was not available for comment, was involved with testing the emission quality of the fuel.

Photo courtesy of USDA

The byproducts of this process can be used as feed for livestock, but Banuelos made it clear that selenium content in the feed is not to the point where it can harm the animals.

Although the project reduces selenium by 20 percent, and up to 160 gallons of bio-oil can be produced from one ton of seed, Banuelos said it is not ready for large-scale production in the Valley.

“If you grow it on good soil, good water, it’s not a feasible operation from an economical standpoint,â€Â Banuelos said, “It has the effect of taking cropland out of production where you’re growing food crops and you’re growing biofuel crops. It’s not a win-deal, especially not in California.â€Â

Canola is not as popular a crop in California as it is in states like South Dakota or in Canada. Although it can grow in virtually any climate, Banuelos said Valley farmers are afraid it will not be lucrative, if indeed they know about the project at all. He mentioned that about 100 acres would be sufficient to supply an operation like Fresno State, but more will be needed in the future if efforts are to be taken seriously.

“Farmers today are a little bit more savvy, especially here in California, but it’ll take some initiative,â€Â Banuelos said.

Much of the growing and experimentation is done around a small-scale oil production facility on Red Rock Ranch in western Fresno County. The facility includes a model 1500 Insta-Pro Continuous Horizontal Press, a soybean press that Banuelos̢۪ team modified to accommodate canola. He said an adequate press could be acquired for $800,000 to $1 million.

While a majority of Banuelos̢۪ work has been done in California, he has worked extensively in China as well. He explained that China̢۪s soil is generally high in selenium because of the abundance of rice and other saline-rich crops.

Technicians for the project are under the payroll of the federal government, but a majority of the funding was supplied by Fresno State through a grant called the Agricultural Research Initiative. The California Department of Water Resources has also contributed.