EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University researchers are finding new locations to grow crops used for biofuel.

The land they’ve identified might surprise some because it’s right next to where the fuel is being used.

Dennis Pennington, an MSU Extension bioenergy educator, is working with a team to identify possibilities for producing cellulosic and oilseed biofuel crops in Michigan for a multiphase project titled “Freeways to Fuels.” The overall goal is to determine whether biofuel crops – crops used for renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel – can be produced on nontraditional land, such as highway rights of way, vacant urban land and airport property.

“When producing crops for biofuels, we don’t want to take away farmland that’s being used for food crops,” Pennington said. “So the question is, where else could we plant? Michigan has a lot of non-traditional land with poorer soils that might provide a location for biofuels crop production.” 

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