Prickly pear is an ordinary food staple in Mexico–more commonly referred to as nopal. Once the flesh is removed from the outer spines, the pads are cut up for tacos or even dried, powdered, and made into tortillas. (1) A Mexican company, however, has found a new use for the plant: biofuel.

Because nopales require little water, the cacti have many distinct advantages over traditional biofuel sources. Since energy demands worldwide continue to increase, finding a sustainable fuel source in nopal could prove to be invaluable.

Mexico’s Humble Prickly Pear

The prickly pear cactus is plentiful in the southwest. Once consumed by the Aztec and Maya peoples, these unassuming cacti plants sport bright red fruit and fleshy, spine-covered flat pads. Because of their long history among Latin communities, nopales are consumed in every way imaginable. Whether juiced, sauteed, powdered, or raw, the plant boasts a variety of health and nutritional benefits.

A newer preparation of the prickly pear’s slippery flesh is in tortilla-making. Tortillas, usually made from flour or corn, are a staple food item in Mexico. Despite their popularity, corn and flour tortillas have little nutritional value. Nopal tortillas, on the other hand, are low in carbohydrates and calories and contain a good amount of fiber. One farmer and tortilla producer, Rogelio Sosa López, saw an opportunity to make use of the unused parts of the cactus that could also help the environment. (2)

Prickly Pear As Biofuel

López’s colleague, Antonio Rodríguez, decided to pair together to find a creative way to save on operating costs. The team combined the pulped flesh of the prickly pear with cow manure, fermenting the mixture to produce methane and water. The liquid proved to be a viable biofuel, inexpensive to produce, and cleaner burning than traditional fuels. As a result, López and Rodríguez set up a company called Nopalimex to focus on this new biogas.

The city of Zitácuaro, where Nopalimex finds its base of operations, is now using the biofuel to power its vehicles. The fuel only costs 12 pesos per liter (approximately $0.65) and is 1/3 cheaper than regular gasoline or diesel fuel. While the reduction in cost is beneficial, greater benefits can be seen when looking at the global picture.

The current largest source of biofuel is soy. However, 80% of the soy crop grows in Brazil, Argentina, and the US. This means that wide swathes of land must be used to produce enough to meet demand. As a result, deforestation is rampant as growers make space to grow more crops. (2)

Advantages Of Growing Nopales

While other biofuel crops put a strain on global resources, nopales have distinct advantages. Unlike soy, the prickly pear is not in extremely high demand for as many products and uses as other biofuel sources. Using the cacti for biofuel could ease pressure and demand on other crops, stabilizing food prices globally. The prickly pear also needs only 20% of the water volume required by other biofuel crops. (2, 3)

With so many advantages, prickly pear biofuel could prove to be a new resource to combat climate change and provide sustainable energy to meet world demands.