🌵 Biogas from Opuntia Cactus 🌵

At OPUS Cactus®, we lead the way in innovation and implementation of producing energy from cactus. From lab-scale BMP trials to long term mid-scale continuous digestion on our 1,000-hectare farm, and now preparing for real large-scale implementations, we are proving that cactus is a powerful source of biomethane and a pathway to truly sustainable energy.

It all comes back to natural cycles. The sun powers the cactus through photosynthesis, allowing it create simple and complex sugars. We harvest this biomass and “feed” it to our digesters, where anaerobic bacteria, the real superheroes of the process, eat the material and transform it into biogas. Unlike solar panels, cacti act as living batteries, storing energy and working
day and night while also improving the soil beneath them.

Our tests, both in-house and in leading Dutch laboratories, show that just 1 kg of cactus can generate up to 60 liters of biogas. This is a remarkable amount of energy from a plant that thrives in some of the toughest conditions on Earth.

Even better, the process delivers more than just renewable energy. By recovering the liquid side stream of the digestion (digestate) and returning it to the cacti, we fertilize our plants, reduce the need for external inputs and transition closer to being fully circular.