Frequently asked questions

What is bioenegía?

Bioenergy is renewable energy from biological materials. In its strictest sense is a synonym for biofuels, fuels derived from biological sources. In its broadest sense includes biomass, biological material used as biofuel as well as the social, economic, scientific and technical situation relating to the use of biological energy sources. There is a slight tendency for bioenergy in Europe, compared with biofuels in North America. (Wikipedia)

What is the cycle of the process?

SCHEMA GENERAL USE OF NOPAL

Source: Wayland 2010

What are the advantages to fossil fuels?

Main from the environmental point of view is the removal of carbon dioxide from the environment through photosynthesis of plants, and biogas to burn it only generates a fraction of that has set the plant carbon dioxide molecules. The biogas generated by the nopal does not contain sulfide or particles thus not pollute the environment with these components.

What are the waste generated in the process?

The process for methane gets organic sediment and water as by-products which are treated by lombricultura for incorporation into the ground. The nitrogen water obtained from the reactor is again incorporated in plantations of nopal as fertilizer reinjected into modernized irrigation system.

Table 1 issue of contaminates per unit of energy

Source: Carvajal, 1998

Does that kind of gas is generated and is its calorific value?

The biogas generated mainly contains methane in 75 per cent, and carbon dioxide in 24 per cent, and 1 per cent of gases such as nitrogen and hydrogen. Its calorific value is 7000 kcal/m ³

Table 2. Heating of different fuels more used power.

Source: 1971-1990 energy balance, Chile, National Commission on energy

That using nopal?.

The nopal has excellent molecular features allowing you to deliver a large amount of biogas in very short time, in comparative terms for the same volume of biogas the nopal degrades 5-10 times more faster than animal manure, it makes one team 5-10 times more productive. Also produces hydrogen sulfide which to be burned in contact with air becomes sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide to produce acid rain.
 

What are the environmental, social and economic benefits of this biofuel?

Generates sustainable development poles, both economic, social and environmental, also the nopal is renewable and contracts producers are based on life of project 15 years production which the producer can risk capital and consumers are assured by a long period.

The nopal energy is clean, inexhaustible, generates bonds carbon, permanent jobs and solves the energy problem in sustainably in the short, medium and long term.

That is the reactors are low-cost?

Unlike processes more traditional for biogas from manure which takes usually two stages an acid and other methanogenic whose pH are quite more acids, the nopal is processed only slightly acid pH 6.5 - 6.8, in a single step since the time as the material from the reactor is very brief, which makes inappropriate expensive stainless steel, because it is only necessary to cover the interior paint epóxica or other plastic type every two years for a good maintenance reactor.
On the other hand the implemented design lines are affordable computers in the local industrial market and customary.
 

What is the reason for using this technology?

Technology exists for more than 100 years has been used in india, China, Germany and many other countries. It has significant advantages in terms of cost, environmental and social benefits. Also is considered a very soft solution from the point of view engineering works at low pressure and temperature, compared to the obtaining of methane from grounds on the high seas.

What is the yield per hectare?

The nopal is an extraordinary, plant with a modernized irrigation, two or three annual crops, allows you to deliver continuously from 800 to 1,200 tons of biomass / year in terms of energy equivalent to 20,000 - 25,000 liters of diesel / hectare.

Does that not been done before?

In the history of mankind can be seen that fuels, as well as the means of transport and a without number of inventions require not only knowledge but the technological capability for exploitation, for centuries used wood, then coal to the industrial revolution spurred the development of humanity.

Single oil in the last 150 years has been the technical capacity of out of terrestrial and submarine grounds to great depth.

In the case of the nopal biogas is used more than 100 years in china and other Asian countries, but only in 1984 (Contreras and Toha, Chile U) genre knowledge that this plant was able to produce large amounts of energy in marginal growing conditions.

Who is it that he allows the sale of carbon bonds?

Through the process of photosynthesis plants vedes takes carbon dioxide from the environment and transform it into organic compounds more complex comprising different cellular structures of the plant.

As any production process there is a maximum performance reachable for approximately 90% of the biomass nopal dry can transform into biogas, the remaining 10% is transformed into sediment and is dragged with water released the prickly cell.

The sediment finally is eaten by earthworms and transformed into soil (humus) and meat of worms for subsequent treatment to flour. 

Is a pollutant system?

No, all the process is completely organic, do not use pesticides or toxicos from damaging environmental elements.

Can you replicate?

If you work with 1,000 HA cluster allowing you to deliver a system tailored for replication.

What can plant where it?

Basic interest this in degraded, low-quality since the nopal is well adapted to adverse climatic conditions soils o other crops. There are species adapted to alkaline soils, acids,

Required more water than other crops?

Quite the contrary, the nopal is a marginal conditions, can be grown in extreme drought conditions.

Is the harvest machined or manual?

As various industrial processes necessary to machine the harvest for their optimum production performance.

Is it necessary that nopal plantations are near my consumption to generate electricity?

Depending on the legislation of each country in some cases the State retained the monopoly of fuels and electricity generation, but allows the autogeneration, is why it is possible to generate electrical energy at a distant on the same network and transport system public extent to use where is lowered.

What are generated products?

Biogas, electricity, water nitrogen, humus, worms feed, carbon bonds

What is the use of earthworms?

Treat the sediment in anaerobic reactors, transforms this effluent into more worms and humus to fertilize soil.