Opuntia. That's not a misspelling of opportunity, though it may be one This week I ran across an interesting story about a researcher look at the Opuntia genus of cacti as a biomass feedstock. The Biopact interview can be found here: http://biopact.com/2008/10/interview-axel-tarrisse-makes-biogas.html As a cacti, Optunia has great potential for arid regions, growing well on degraded land with low water and nutrient needs requirements.

The French researcher, Axel Tarrisse, is looking at Optunia as a feedstock for biogas with the remaining solids used as fertilizer. He says the cacti can yield 100 to 400 tons of fresh biomass per hectare per year, which amounts to 12 to 48 metric tons dry weight. South American yields have been as high as 500 tons of fresh biomass per hectare. In a biogas system, he estimates 1 ton of Optunia biomass will yield around 50 to 60 cubic meters of biogas, or 300 to 360 kilowatts of power. Between 150 to 400 hectares will be necessary to supply biomass for 1 megawatt of electrical capacity.

Optunia is just the latest in a series of research efforts undertaken around the world looking at crops that will thrive in niches where the dominant commodity crops don't. I write a lot about new feedstocks for Biomass Magazine's sister publications, Ethanol Producer Magazine and Biodiesel Magazine. I've written about moringa, jatropha, pennycress, camelina, and other potential new oil sources. There's sweet sorghum and barley fitting into cropping niches as alternatives for corn and sugar cane. I've written about switchgrass, miscanthus, arundo, cuphea as new biomass crops. And, I've got quite a list of others to write about in the future.

While many justifiably worry about biofuels competing with food crops for resources, I'm betting the opposite scenario plays out. I see some evidence that increased food prices is stimulating investments in agriculture everywhere. New markets for biofuels and other biomass applications will create new markets for energy crops that are tailored to fill niches where food crops don't thrive. There's a whole host of challenges unleashing entrepreneurial creativity. We do need the critics, though, to keep the pressure on to use this as an opportunity to find sustainable solutions – for the community, the environment and business.