SBIR-STTR Award

The environmental impacts of coal bed methane development (CBM) in Montana and the Rocky Mountain States are well documented. CBM exploration is expanding rapidly with the nation's focus on energy independence and the relative ease of extraction. Extraction of CBM necessitates pumping large volumes of often saline discharge waters to the surface. The impacts of those waters include: reductions in the quality and quantity of surface and sub-surface waters for drinking and agricultural purposes; increased salt levels to drainage wetlands and major river systems which can increase the salt levels of irrigation water; increased contamination of surface water; loss of productive agricultural rangeland; irreversible physical and chemical damage to agricultural and rangeland soils; changes in native plant communities and dependent wildlife; and increased soil erosion and resultant dust pollution. The EPA has stated that CBM development is the single greatest environmental challenge facing the Intermountain West. Between 2 to 4 trillion gallons of discharge water will be pumped on to the surface in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana alone over the next 20 years. CBM development is also at center stage of an enormous amount of litigation involving landowners, state and federal agencies, energy exploration companies, environmental groups, and in some cases between states (Montana vs. Wyoming), as rivers and aquifers traverse state boundaries. The use of plants to remove various pollutants from soil and water (phytoremediation) is an area receiving widespread attention. Phytoremediation is seen as a relatively "low-tech" methodology for ameliorating pollutants and is far more cost effective than complex treatment facilities. Halophytes are a group of salt resistant plants which have demonstrated abilities to evaporate large volumes of saline water and to remove substantial amounts of detrimental salts from impacted soils. The use and efficacy of these plants in many temperate/tropical areas of the world is well established. The goal of this research is to develop a cost effective, cold climate, plant-based system to remediate saline impacted soils lands in Montana and Wyoming so that native vegetation or saline tolerant agricultural crops could be re-established. The optimal outcome will be a situation where land owners, exploration companies, agronomists, wetland engineers and government agencies will work together to establish and manage these salt remediating species in conjunction with dispersal of discharge waters. The expected long-term benefits of this research include: remediation of salinized lands, improved water quality for both human and agricultural purposes, reduction of CBM impacts on associated wetlands, soil erosion, native plant communities, and dependent wildlife populations. Several of the candidate species identified by Westcape also bring the additional benefits of being a potential source for non-food biofuel for localized use as well as a large scale carbon sequestration mechanism. OBJECTIVES: Coal Bed Methane development (CBM) in Montana is raising the salinity and sodicity of associated soils and water. These increases have a long-term negative impact on soil chemistry and physical structure. The principal goal of this Phase I effort is to determine the feasibility of cultivating the salt resistant plant Sarcocornia utahensis for use as a reclamation species to ameliorate those impacts. Objective 1 establishes a plant nursery of S. utahensis at Westscape Nursery for conducting research on botanical, agronomic, and chemical attributes of S. utahensis (May 2009). This objective will establish protocols for commercial propagation of S. utahensis. Objective 2 will establish baseline soil chemistry of native soils associated with S. utahensis in Utah to CBM affected soils in Montana in May 2009. Comparing data from both groups will determine if S. utahensis is growing in soils of similar saline chemistry. The outcome of this objective will provide comparative data on CBM soils and the native soils of S. utahensis. Objective 3 will determine the feasibility of commercially producing S. utahensis by both vegetative and seed propagation methods. This objective will provide information on the best propagation method to use for commercial production of S.utahensis and provide the needed information by August 2009. Objective 4 will determine the evapotranspiration rates of S. utahensis in control and test soils. This objective will provide information on the ability of S. utahensis to reduce volumes of surface water via evapotranspiration in a greenhouse controlled experiment. These data will be extrapolated to demonstrate the ability of S. utahensis to reduce surface discharge water volume in CBM affected soils. Objective 5 will determine the carbon sequestration rates of S. utahensis in a saline environment associated with CBM discharge water. This objective will determine if salinity levels associated with CBM discharge water have an effect on the ability of S. utahensis to sequester carbon. These data will be collected in May and September of 2009 and extrapolated in October of 2009. Objective 6 will determine the overwintering potential of S. utahensis in CBM affected soils of Montana. This objective will determine if S. utahensis collected in Utah has the ability to overwinter at CBM sites in Montana. This objective will necessitate the extension of the grant for data collection in late spring of 2010 but will provide valuable information of the winter hardiness of S. utahensis in CBM affected sites in Montana. Objective 7 will determine any potential adverse effects of S. utahensis establishment in unaffected, non-native soils. This objective will determine if S. utahensis can survive and have the ability to reproduce in non-saline soils and have the ability to overwinter and germinate in the following spring. This objective will demonstrate if S. utahensis has the potential to become an invasive weed. This objective will necessitate the extension of the grant for data collection in late spring of 2010 for monitoring of vegetative spread and seed reproduction. APPROACH: The general scientific methods used in the evaluation and development of S.utahensis will largely follow the standard operating procedures typically used for cultivating or naturalizing a wild species for production application. These tasks will include collection of mature plants and seed from indigenous sites. Plant material will be brought to Westscape for the establishment and maintenance of a mother plant nursery. Once established, individuals will be evaluated for basic botanical and agronomic characteristics and chemical composition. Data will be analyzed (ANOVA-SAS) for various traits germane to the development of the species for larger-scale germplasm production. Analysis will include traits such as ease of vegetative propagation, seed production capability, ability to remove and evaporate detrimental salts from saline soils and water. Tissue analysis for chemical constituents will be done by a certified independent testing lab. All other parameters will be evaluated by Westscape. Various environmental factors affecting the success of S.utahensis will also be analyzed. These will include the chemical comparison of indigenous soils from the Great Salt Lake area to those soils of the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Montana and Wyoming. All soil testing will be analyzed by an independent testing laboratory. Field plots will be established in the PRB for the purpose of evaluating parameters such as establishment, vigor, competitiveness, winter hardiness, disease or insect predation, seed set, and general adaptation to the environmental conditions of the PRB. Typical methods for measuring these data involve the establishment of indexing criteria which can then be used in standard statistical analysis. Throughout the evaluation process, Westscape will be selecting and maintaining superior individual genotypes for various desirable traits with the intention of creating an improved population or set of clones for accomplishing desired tasks. In terms of affecting a change to the current knowledge base of the target audience, there is currently no sound scientific methodology for managing the large volumes of discharge water being pumped on to the surface in the PRB and throughout the West. Those methods include pumping discharge into run-off channels, streams, wetlands, or rivers. In some cases, water is pumped into large containment reservoirs, injected back into aquifers, or simply pumped across the surface without containment. Some energy companies have made efforts at desalinizing water by mechanical means which are costly and cannot handle the volume of water being generated. The long-term geologic and hydrologic effects of re-injecting water back into aquifers are unknown and also expensive. The adaptation of a plant-based system for remediation of CBM environmental impacts would represent a major sea change not only in how discharge water is currently managed but would serve to demonstrate the efficacy of phytoremedial strategies in colder climates. Optimally, cooperation between land owners and energy companies would result from the adaptation of this research with the regional environment being the overall beneficiary.

The Bureau of Land Management and other agencies have called the rapid expansion of energy exploration on the Rocky Mountain Front, the single largest environmental challenge facing the western U.S. The Powder River Basin (PRB) of Wyoming and Montana is an area of major development for coal bed methane gas (CBM) exploration. CBM resides in underground coal seams, trapped by large aquifers of water which contain elevated levels of salts and sodium ions. In order to harness CBM, these saline-sodic "discharge" waters must be pumped to the surface. Discharge waters are already causing degradation of soil, water, and air quality, loss of drinking water reserves, increased soil erosion, reduction in land values and agricultural productivity, degradation of wetlands, native range habitat and dependent species, risks to human and animal health, as well as impacting rural community life. In 2008, more than 900 million barrels of discharge were pumped to the surface in the PRB with 120,000 new wells expected to come on line in the next 20 years. Each well can produce as much as 20 tons of salt being applied to the surface, impacting thousands of acres of land. The EPA has called for the development of phytoremediation (plant-based) strategies to counteract and ameliorate the negative effects of discharge water on soil and water resulting from CBM exploration in cold-arid environments. No such efforts have currently been developed. In Phase I research, Westscape Nursery demonstrated that their selected, adapted halophytes (highly salt-tolerant plants) have the ability to remove sodium and other toxic elements (including selenium) from impacted soil and water, as well as evaporate (via transpiration) large volumes of salinated water. In Phase II, Westscape will further develop advanced breeding lines and clonal material with enhanced abilities for these traits. These plants will be integrated as part of a pre-vegetated mat system which can be readily deployed for in situ soil and water remediation on CBM and other similarly impacted sites. The (erosion control-like) mats will also contain proprietary formulations of fertilizer, growth, and other biotic factors for enhanced establishment and performance of the mats. Westscape anticipates that at the end of Phase II, it will have an innovative, market-ready, phytoremedial technology that is environmentally friendly, easy to use, and far less expensive to implement than current mechanical solutions currently being employed. The proposed technology is widely applicable across the region. Exploration companies are being strongly encouraged to take more pro-active measures at reducing the deleterious effects of CBM development; the BLM and other agencies manage expansive tracts of impacted lands in the West; private land owners and agricultural operations could also benefit from this technology. In 2010, Westscape will implement a field-scale demonstration of this technology in a contract with the US Fish & Wildlife Service for reclamation of saline and selenium impacted land at the Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge in central Montana. OBJECTIVES: In Phase II, Westscape Nursery will develop advanced generation breeding lines of target species exhibiting the enhanced ability to serve as phytoremedial tools. This includes: 1) the ability to uptake and remove sodium from soil and water, 2) the ability to uptake, sequester, and volatilize selenium, and 3) the ability to evapotranspirate bodies of CBM product water or other impacted water with elevated levels of salinity and/or selenium. We will begin with a suite of plants that have proven ability to thrive and function in extreme saline and/or seleniferous environments and then improve upon those abilities. Ultimately, the goal is to take wild-type halophytic species, enhance their ability to serve as a phytoremedial tool, and then domesticate them for ease of use and application. In this way, we can tailor individual species or groups of species to meet specific environmental conditions. Phase II objectives will also be aimed at utilizing the findings in Phase I for the development of seeded mats which will serve as a deployment vehicle and system for establishing the plants of interest on desired sites. Different mat types may be deployed within the same site to meet changes in topography, differences in soil and water chemistries, and varying levels of elemental toxicities; and may consist of different plants. Proprietary formulations of seed and accompanying nutrient solutions will be applied to commercially available erosion control fabric for installation on site. These formulations may also be applied to aquatic or floating systems where appropriate and used for "harvesting" deleterious salts and other elements from impacted bodies of water. Direct planting of containerized plant material could also be employed where applicable. The primary focus of Objective 1 will be to define protocols for achieving optimum germination, uptake of sodium and selenium, and biomass production for selected species in each method of deployment of plant materials (seeded mats and containerized plants) in target environments. The expected outputs of this objective include clarification and understanding of: threshold salinity levels for optimal germination, the role of the growth regulator gibberellic acid on germination of the target species in high salt concentrations, the effect of organic matter additions on germination for seeded mats in saline, and selenium impacted environments, optimal plant density for uptake of sodium, biomass production for each method of deployment of plant materials in saline impacted environments, performance of deployment technologies (seeded mats and containerized plants) in constructed wetland treatment cells and constructed terrestrial treatment cells for the criteria including: uptake of sodium and selenium, preferential uptake of salts, biomass production, and improvement of SAR. In Objective 2 we will develop advanced generation breeding lines (both as seed and by asexual means of propagation) of native halophytes to achieve desired goals. The expected outcomes of this objective include increasing biomass, salt and selenium uptake, evapotranspiration, and harvestability traits for selected species. APPROACH: In Phase I, Westscape identified and characterized several non-cultivated halophytic species that show promise as potential phytoremedial tools for use on saline (and selenium) impacted sites due to coal bed methane (CBM) extraction and other causes in cold-arid climates. In Phase II, advanced generation breeding lines of these species will be developed to: uptake and remove sodium from soil and water, uptake, sequester, and volatilize selenium, and to evapotranspirate bodies of water impacted with elevated levels of salinity and/or selenium with a major focus on CBM product water. Traditional phenotypic recurrent selection plant breeding methodologies will be employed whereby superior individuals for specific traits of interest will be selected. Progeny (or clonal material) from selected individuals will be further evaluated and their performance will be quantitatively compared to "wild-type" individuals to demonstrate genetic gain and improvement for the desired traits. These improved populations or seed from clonal individuals will then be commercially impregnated (by spray with a tackifying agent) on to erosion control mats (in rolls) containing proprietary formulations of biotic and abiotic growth factors which may include nutrient solutions, mycorrhizae, and/or fungal endophytes. These pre-seeded mats will serve as a novel delivery system which will aid in both the germination and establishment of the species and enhance their phytoremedial function. To determine the efficacy of the mat system, a "plant diorama" will be constructed in which three typical hydrologic regimes (upland, mesic, and aquatic) will be "bio-mimicked" to test pertinent criteria for proprietary formulations of the seeded mat as well as mat function. Highly saline and selenium impacted soils will be used as the substrate in the diorama(s). In 2009, Westscape used its findings from Phase I to secure a contract with the US Fish Wildlife Service for phytoremediation efforts on Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. Hailstone is considered one of the most endangered refuges in the United Stated due to elevated levels of sodium and toxic levels of selenium. Westscape began work last year at the site in a cooperative effort with Montana State University. In 2010-11, pre-seeded mats and selected halophytes will be deployed and planted at Hailstone to determine their efficacy in situ. Westscape plans to use this unique opportunity to demonstrate both the ability of these species to function in this challenging environment as well as the effectiveness of the pre-seeded mats as an economically viable and unique delivery system. The cold-arid expanses of the Northern Rockies and Great Plains contain millions of acres of saline (and selenium) impacted lands. CBM development in Montana and Wyoming is already impacting large areas of land and water systems due to increased salinization with more impact expected over the next two decades. There are national, regional, and local imperatives for clean technologies to ameliorate these impacts. Westscape expects the development of its phytoremedial plants and systems to put it at the forefront of this emerging technology