If you had to guess what plant (other than corn or sugar) could power cars with a clean fuel source, what would you guess? I’ll save you some pondering time and come out and say it: it’s the cactus. Yes, those prickly plants could become the world’s next powerhouse biofuel.

According to Grist, this is welcome news because cacti are cheap to grow and drought tolerant. Corn and sugarcane, other plants used for biofuel, haven’t proven to be environmentally friendly (they both use a lot of farmland space — not cool, considering they also can be eaten).

Cacti, specifically prickly pear cacti, however, excel at staying alive in incredibly dry climates where people don’t farm. The news about cactis’ cool secret was published in detail at Chemistry World, “[R]esearchers from the University of Oxford, Tropical Power, Imperial College London and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, say that CAM species like Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear) and Euphorbia tirucallli could make a huge contribution to sustainable biogas production.”

The work was led by Mike Mason, a bioenergy entrepreneur. Mason says that “electricity production from biogas is incredibly flexible” — ” ‘you can bring it up or down as demand goes up and down. The problem is that there isn’t much resource to turn into biogas and it’s horribly expensive.’ ” And that’s why it’s so great that CAM plants could change the alternative gas game.

“Mason estimates that it would take between 4 percent and 12 percent of available semi-arid land to generate 5PWh of electricity per year, equivalent to that generated from natural gas. The products of anaerobic digestion, nutrient rich wastewater and solid digestate, can be re-used for irrigation or as fertilisers. The wastewater could also be used for highly productive forms of aquaculture – potentially increasing food production from land growing biofuels instead of decreasing it,” Chemistry World reports.

Does this news excite you as much as it does us? Enough to hug a cactus?

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While I’ve never met a plant I didn’t love, succulents and air plants are favorites for their extraordinary variety, stunning forms and low consumption of water. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or believe you have a “black” thumb, these unique gems reward you with their ability to thrive as they bring an environmentally-friendly touch of the outdoors inside.

Survival of the succulent

The same survival traits that allows them to prosper in dry, arid climates where nothing else will grow makes these gorgeous guys ideal as a greener choice for houseplants. Unlike most thirst guzzlers, they can thrive with very little water because of their ability to store water in their leaves, stems or roots. This same storage system helps give them their “chubby” appearance or succulence. They are in fact “juicy” but don’t be deceived by their voluptuous appearance. They’re also tough and long-lasting.

Living on air

Air plants (tillandsias) grow magically without soil. They come in a wild array of
delicate and exotic shapes. Some air plants also flower at certain times of the
year. Tucking them into a container of stones, beach glass or sand creates
an instant indoor garden. All they require is filtered light, a spritz of
water a couple of times a week and a gentle upside-down shake to prevent
soggy bottoms.

Learn more about xeriscaping, succulents and eco-friendly gardening. And we’ll be taking a look at cacti and orchids soon, as well, so bookmark this post for updates.

Images: cattypumkinhead, VivaTerra

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