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,Wayne Sharp,Kary Ritter,Terrence Chambers,Alex Zappi,Daniel Gang,Dhan Lord Fortela,Emmanuel Revellame,Rafael Hernandez

doi:10.3390/su12135225

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.

Highlights

All publicly owned transportation roadways including interstates, federal highways, state highways, county roads, and municipal roads are constructed on right-of-way (ROW) land areas that support the constructed transportation infrastructure, maintenance areas, and safety buffer zones [1]
The assessment included the study of potential issues surrounding the use ROW lands as farming opportunities for lipid-bearing crops
The Chinese Tallow Tree is a native tree from China (Japan and Taiwan as well) that was brought into the US in the 1700s as both an ornamental tree and a source of cheap lipids for lamp oil and other uses [91]

Summary

Introduction

All publicly owned transportation roadways including interstates, federal highways, state highways, county roads, and municipal roads are constructed on right-of-way (ROW) land areas that support the constructed transportation infrastructure, maintenance areas, and safety buffer zones [1]. ROW land areas associated with municipal and county roadways are mainly tied to drainage ditches (if they are present) or to the shoulder areas. Due to storms, diminishing markets, and frost, almost all of these stands are gone This one-time widespread growing of Tung Trees does indicate that the trees are cultured in Louisiana. It is a flowering tree that yields a fruit ready for collection in late fall. It is considered a nuisance, invasive tree in most states [89]. This is likely to be an issue if Chinese Tallow would be considered as a viable option for culturing within ROW areas. The Chinese Tallow Tree is very hardy and grows exceptionally well in the Deep US South

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion