A new version of this entry is available:
Loading...
Article
2024
Combined bioenergy and food potential of Opuntia ficus-indica grown on marginal land in rural Mexico
Combined bioenergy and food potential of Opuntia ficus-indica grown on marginal land in rural Mexico
Abstract
Opuntia ficus-indica (cactus pear) emerged as a promising crop for sustainable bioenergy production on marginal agricultural land, mitigating competition with food crops and lowering the risk of other indirect land use changes. In this study, the bioenergy potential is investigated of cactus pear residues within a smallholder farming context of Nopaltepec, a rural municipality in Central Mexico. Nopaltepec is a native environment of cactus pear and shows an annual production volume of 30 Gg of fresh matter. A bottom-up approach employing semi-structured interviews ( n = 16) was utilized to assess the feasibility of transforming the pruning residues of cactus pear into a viable bioenergy source. The results indicate a substantial bioenergy potential, with 27 Mg of fresh matter biomass (equivalent to 9720 m 3 biogas) per hectare obtainable annually without compromising fruit yields. Moreover, the digestate produced through anaerobic digestion can be recycled as biofertilizer, offering economic and ecological advantages to smallholders. Notably, farmers expressed keen interest in integrating this technology into their agricultural systems. This research underscores the potential of cactus pear residues for developing a decentralized bioenergy sector and provides valuable ideas for future bottom-up assessments in rural communities like Nopaltepec.
File is subject to an embargo until
This is a correction to:
A correction to this entry is available:
This is a new version of:
Other version
Notes
Publication license
Publication series
Published in
Energies, 17 (2024), 24, 6278.
https://doi.org/10.3390/en17246278.
ISSN: 1996-1073
Other version
Faculty
Institute
Examination date
Supervisor
Cite this publication
Varela Pérez, P., Winkler, B., Röcker, P., & von Cossel, M. (2024). Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of Opuntia ficus-indica Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico. Energies, 17(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/en17246278
Edition / version
Citation
DOI
ISSN
ISBN
Language
English
Publisher
Publisher place
Classification (DDC)
630 Agriculture
Collections
Original object
University bibliography
Standardized keywords (GND)
Sustainable Development Goals
BibTeX
@article{Varela Pérez2024,
doi = {10.3390/en17246278},
author = {Varela Pérez, Paola and Winkler, Bastian and Röcker, Philip et al.},
title = {Combined Bioenergy and Food Potential of Opuntia ficus-indica Grown on Marginal Land in Rural Mexico},
journal = {Energies},
year = {2024},
volume = {17},
number = {24},
}