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The
possible source of new fuel for Monterey-Salinas Transit's bus fleet
was planted Thursday on land owned by a South County vineyard.
Twenty acres of two colorfully named varieties of mustard —
Pacific Gold and Wild California — will be harvested in the fall, when
the seeds will be squeezed for oil to be refined into biodiesel fuel.
Biodiesel fuel is not a startling innovation in the public
transit world. Thousands of buses in the San Francisco and Seattle
areas are already burning part-biodiesel fuel mixtures, said Carl
Sedoryk, general manager of the county transit agency.
But most biodiesel comes from Midwestern corn and soy crops,
causing competition for food crops and carrying shipping costs "that
almost defeat the purpose," Sedoryk said.
Looking for a home-grown, sustainable source of biodiesel is
the main goal of the experiment that started Thursday in the fields
beside Jolon Road owned by San Bernabe Vineyards.
Mustard seed can produce higher volumes of biodiesel than corn
or soy, and the spicy mustard meal left over from the refining process
can be used as a fertilizer and natural pesticide for crops.
"It's truly a trial to see how it goes. If it's successful, we
may grow more," said Claude Hoover, president of San Bernabe Vineyards.
Others teaming up on the project are Energy Alternative
Solutions Inc., which will process the mustard biodiesel at its
Gonzales refinery, and Farm Fuel Inc. of Aptos, which provided the
seed. The land, seed and refining are all being donated.
"We latched onto the idea of whether we can produce a locally
refined biodiesel fuel," Sedoryk said. "We're going to do this
demonstration to see if its a viable concept and sustainable locally."
Wild varieties of mustard grow on millions of acres of
California orchards and vineyards each spring, filling row upon row
with bright yellow flowers.
The plants don't need irrigation if planted during winter, Hoover said.
The two varieties, separated by a 10-acre control stand of
barley, will be compared by their yields. Hoover estimated that 1,500
to 2,500 pounds of mustard seed will be produced per acre.
Transit officials say the 20 acres could produce about 1,700
gallons of biodiesel. Mixed at a 4-to-1 ratio with the low-sulfur
diesel used by the agency's 76 buses, the fuel mixture could power a
single bus for about 13 months.
"I'm not (saying) it will be a solution to all biodiesel, but
it's just a way Monterey County can use its assets locally," Sedoryk
said.
Biodiesel fuel is already being made from grease and fat
collected from local restaurants and hotels in the hospitality
industry. This project could bring the county's agricultural industry
into the biodiesel fold, Sedoryk said.
The project evolved from the "Competitive Clusters" program to
foster public-private partnerships in economic development. It's
sponsored by the county Office of Economic Development and the Monterey
County Business council.
Business council president Mary Ann Leffel said in a
statement, "Here is another groundbreaking public-private partnership
... that will showcase breakthroughs in green technology."
Larry Parsons can be reached at 646-4379 or lparsons@montereyherald.com.
