The global need to transition to renewable and decentralized systems entails agricultural systems as producers of residual biomass. Avocado trees (Persea americana Mill.) are one of the main woody crops cultivated in Mexico, with over 150,000 hectares grown in the country. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the use of avocado pruning residues as an energy input, focusing on the revalorization of biomass and the generation of economic benefits for small producers in the region. For that purpose, we developed allometric equations to calculate biomass availability from pruning residues, evaluated their thermochemical properties, and proposed technological alternatives for their energy use. Two allometric equations for pruning residues as a function of tree height and crown diameter were obtained: one for light and minor maintenance pruning (R² = 0.63) and one for rejuvenation pruning (R² = 0.86). From these equations, we estimate the mean amount of biomass generated from light and rejuvenation pruning to be 42.7 and 25.1 kg per tree and year, respectively, which amounts to 1324 and 780 kg ha⁻¹ DM (dry matter), with an energy potential of 26.2 and 15.4 GJ ha⁻¹. The thermochemical analysis shows that a higher proportion of leaves generates a higher ash content, which reduces the quality of the residues as a fuel. Avocado pruning residues have high potential for energy use and could be implemented in the industrial and residential sectors, generating a complementary source of income for producers.

In the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, it is not possible to carry out an integrated sustainability analysis because the quantification of the biophysical capacity of the ecosystems to supply ecosystem services is not taken into account. This paper considers a methodological proposal connecting the flow demand of a process or system product from the technosphere and the feasibility of the ecosystem to supply based on the sink capacity. The ecosystem metabolism as an analytical framework and data from a case study of an LCA of combined heat and power (CHP) plant with and without post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) technology in Mexico were applied. Three scenarios, including water and energy depletion and climate change impact, are presented to show the types of results obtained when the process effect of operation is scaled to one year. The impact of the water–energy–carbon nexus over the natural infrastructure or ecological fund in LCA is analyzed. Further, the feasibility of the biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) from this result for Mexico is discussed. On the supply side, in the three different scenarios, the CHP plant requires between 323.4 and 516 ha to supply the required oil as stock flow and 46–134 ha to supply the required freshwater. On the sink side, 52–5,096,511 ha is necessary to sequester the total CO₂ emissions. Overall, the CHP plant generates 1.9–28.8 MW/ha of electricity to fulfill its function. The CHP with PCC is the option with fewer ecosystem services required.

La bioenergía es una alternativa importante para la reducción del uso de combustibles fósiles y para la mitigación de gases de efecto invernadero. Existe un mercado global creciente para los trasportadores energéticos forestales (TEF), tales como los pellets o las astillas combustibles. México cuenta con un gran potencial de recursos y residuos forestales que pueden ser utilizados como TEF de manera sustentable. Sin embargo, existen barreras importantes para la producción, comercialización y uso de estos biocombustibles. El presente estudio parte de la perspectiva de las empresas forestales para identificar las barreras a la producción y comercio de estos productos en México. Se entrevistó a representantes de 58 empresas distribuidas en las regiones forestales más importantes del país, las cuales producen o tienen el potencial de producir: carbón vegetal, leña de monte, astilla, pellets, leña industrial, corteza o aserrín. Los resultados indican que las barreras de mercado, como la escasa demanda actual y los precios bajos de los TEF, son las que más limitan su producción. También se encontró que la falta de estudios de mercado, así como la poca infraestructura y equipo para la producción de transportadores como la astilla o el pellet son otros factores limitantes. Las barreras dependen del tipo de empresa y del tipo de TEF que produzcan. Las empresas que producen más de un producto enfrentan más barreras que las que se especializan en uno, porque en la mayoría de los casos estos son subproductos de aserrío.

A reforestation trial was carried out with ten native tree species under four different doses of mineral fertilizer in the lowland tropics in Tabasco, Mexico. In six one-hectare plots, 2415 seedlings of Brosimum alicastrum, Calophyllum brasiliense, Ceiba pentandra, Colubrina arborescens, Diphysa americana, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Handroanthus chrysanthus, Pimenta dioica, Pouteria sapota, and Tabebuia rosea were planted in a randomized design. The mineral fertilizer consisted of a single initial dose of 0 g, 150 g, 375 g or 750 g nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK), as well as micronutrients (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, S). First-year survival and median height increment of transplanted seedlings were analyzed with statistical confidence intervals. Whereas overall first-year survival for Ceiba pentandra for all fertilization doses combined was 66%, it was only 12% for Brosimum alicastrum. On the other hand, median height increment was 102 cm for Enterolobium cyclocarpum, whereas it was only 7 cm for Pimenta dioica. The survival of six of the planted species was apparently affected by the salinity effect caused by mineral fertilization. The only species that benefited from mineral fertilization in a statistically significant way was C. pentandra. In conclusion, mineral fertilization in tropical reforestation is not recommended in general. Appropriate species selection is far more important for favorable survivorship and height increment.