Our products
Introducing our Cactus-based biomaterials
Sustainable Livestock Feed
Not all livestock feed is created equal. Most crops are water, energy, and cost intensive and can only be planted seasonally on arable irrigated land.
Spineless opuntia thrives in semi-arid environments where growing crops like maize, soy and lucerne is not viable due to water scarcity. Opuntia is a perennial plant with a productive lifespan of 30+ years and can be harvested on demand. The biological characteristics and metabolic resilience of this crop facilitate the rehabilitation of unproductive marginal land. This is a key differentiator in regard to cost drivers and profitability.
Renewable Energy
Spineless opuntia is a commercially viable and scalable feedstock for bioenergy which can be used to produce renewable natural gas, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Opuntia addresses the biomass deficit which is a rate limiting factor to the production of renewable energy produced from other biomethane sources. Many biomass sources introduce new issues such as deforestation, exacerbation of food insecurity, and high energy consumption which results in significant CO2 emissions.
Currently OPUS Cactus is operating a 6 cubic meter (6,000-liter) anaerobic digester that has been in successful continuous operation since early 2025 at our Research Center Waterkloof in Bloemfontein, producing stable biogas from Opuntia cactus biomass. Our biogas optimization program focuses on maximizing methane yields and developing scalable processes that can provide renewable natural gas to the industry. Also, OPUS Cactus has developed a economically viable modular approach with its 0.5PJ Module, a scalable multiplication approach for its goal to set up a global biomethane platform under (semi-)arid conditions on non-arable lands.
Biologic Carbon Sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and storing the CO2 or the carbon comprising the CO2 for long periods of time. It is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing global climate change. Biologic carbon sequestration refers to storage of atmospheric carbon in vegetation, soils, woody products, and aquatic environments. Spineless opuntia have metabolic processes which make them uniquely adapted to biologically sequester carbon in semi-arid environments and restore soil health.
Consumables
Opuntia fruit and cladodes have long been a food source of cultural significance in the Americas and Africa. Oil can also be produced by cold-pressing the seeds found within the opuntia fruit.
The UN FAO recently highlighted opuntia as a commercial crop of significance to meet the global food demand and there has been a recent proliferation of cactus-based food and beverage offerings. Prickly pear seed oil reveals a significant amount of essential fatty acids. Predominately Omega 6, together with Vitamin E, carotenoids and phytosterols. It provides unique skin care properties. It has a low viscosity in relation to other oils, making it comfortable to apply and easy to absorb.
