An Assessment of the Potential to Produce Commercially Valuable Lipids on Highway Right-of-Way Land Areas Located Within the Southeastern United States

Mark E. Zappi, Alex Zappi, Emmanuel Revellame, Wayne Sharp, Dhan Lord Fortela, Rafael Hernandez, Terrence Chambers, Kary Ritter and Daniel Gang
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Mark E. Zappi: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Alex Zappi: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Emmanuel Revellame: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Wayne Sharp: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Dhan Lord Fortela: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Rafael Hernandez: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Terrence Chambers: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Kary Ritter: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Daniel Gang: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 13, 1-38

Abstract: Right-of-way (ROW) land areas are required for all publicly owned transportation roadways representing over 40 million acres within the US alone. These relatively unused land assets could support potential farming land for plants and algae that contain high levels of lipids that could be used in the energy industry as an alternative fuel source. This process would offer many benefits including more efficient use of public land, eliminating mowing maintenance, increasing the bioenergy use in the US, providing visually appealing viewscapes, and helping to naturally reduce localized carbon dioxide. This paper analyzed the feasibility and potential optimization strategies of using this concept in the South-Eastern United States by scaling and comparing many of the benefits and risks associated with the selected lipid sources (soybeans, flax, sunflowers, Tung trees, Chinese tallow tree, and microalgae). Based on this assessment, the most attractive option appears to be growing flax in the winter and sunflowers in the summer with Tung Trees grown year-round as an alternative option. This would maximize lipids output while preserving and enhancing right-of-way land areas.

Keywords: lipids; biocrops; sustainable infrastructure; highway right of way land; biofuels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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