BMP testingBioplastics and compostable packaging

Cellulose-based films and packaging — BMP: 10 studies, weighted mean 355 m³ CH₄/t VS

Cellulose films and packaging (cellophane, plates, products containing CaCO₃) are mainly cellulose, so they digest well, but mineral fillers lower the VS share.

rating: good CH₄ ≈ 51 % (estimate)

Published 18 October 2024Updated 29 October 20263 min readFeedstockData Editorial Team

Illustration: FeedstockData (AI, Google Gemini)

Weighted mean: 355m³ CH₄/t VS
Range: 266–437m³ CH₄/t VS
Records: 10studies
Publications: 3sources
Temperatures: 35 °C, 37 °Cof the test

Methane in biogas

≈51–52% CH₄

Low methane content · ≈ 5.1 kWh/m³ of biogas

estimate from the substrate type The collected studies contain no measurement. The interval follows from the approximate composition (protein from total nitrogen (N 0 % DM × 6.25)) and the yields of compound groups according to FNR.

How we calculate it and what the zones mean

Rating for biogas plants

good — editorial rating for biogas plantsStable, usually accepted without a fee

Potential per tonne of fresh matter: very high (254 m³ CH₄/t); no particular threats to stability. Handling costs: fibres, floating layer, slow degradation.

Why? Rating factors

Potential per tonne +3

+3potential 254 m³ CH₄/t fresh matter (BMP 355 × DM 93.1 % × VS 76.9 %)

Process stability 0

0no factors

Handling and costs −1

−0.5fibres, floating layer — shredding and intensive mixing
−0.5slow degradation — long retention time

Total points: 2 · thresholds: ≥ 2.5 very good, ≥ 1 good, below — neutral; negative with cumulative process risk.

Editorial rating per the methodology · confidence of the rating: medium · excluding market prices

Add to the co-digestion calculator CSV data

BMP curves from 10 studies

Weighted mean Individual records

Dashed lines are a model curve (first-order kinetics, B(t) = B₀·(1 − e^−kt)); the end point comes from the publication. All curves are model curves.

Cumulative methane production over the test [m³ CH₄/t VS]. The thick line is the weighted mean of all records (355); dots mark the end values given in the publications. Point at the chart to read values; click a legend item to hide or show a record.

Records and sources

Download CSV

Source	BMP m³ CH₄/t VS	Temperature	Sample	Curve
Calabro’ et al. (2020) DOI	304	35 °C · mesophilic	Cellulosic Plates	end point (model curve)
Üveges et al. (2023) · 1 DOI	266	— · mesophilic	Cellulose or derivative(s) with CaCO3	end point (model curve)
Üveges et al. (2023) · 2 DOI	311	— · mesophilic	Cellulose or derivative(s) with CaCO3 and,	end point (model curve)
Üveges et al. (2023) · 3 DOI	327	— · mesophilic	Cellulose or derivative(s) with CaCO3	end point (model curve)
Üveges et al. (2023) · 4 DOI	433	— · mesophilic	cellulose or derivates	end point (model curve)
Üveges et al. (2023) · 5 DOI	437	— · mesophilic	Cellulose or derivative(s) with CaCO3	end point (model curve)
Zhang et al. (2018) · 1 DOI	374	37 °C · mesophilic	Cellulose-based metallised film	end point (model curve)
Zhang et al. (2018) · 2 DOI	404	37 °C · mesophilic	Cellulose-based high barrier heat-sealable film	end point (model curve)
Zhang et al. (2018) · 3 DOI	410	37 °C · mesophilic	Cellulose-based non heat- sealable film	end point (model curve)
Zhang et al. (2018) · 4 DOI	433	37 °C · mesophilic	Cellulose-based heat-sealable film	end point (model curve)
Weighted mean	355	arithmetic mean 370, SD 63

Typical composition

Dry matter (DM): 93.1% (range 85.9–97.6)
Volatile solids (VS): 76.9 % DM (range 64.7–99.8)
Nitrogen: 0 % DM

Median and range of the determinations reported in the publications behind this substrate's BMP records (read from: MY-D); dry matter: 10 determinations, volatile solids: 10 determinations. Samples were tested dried/air-dry – the DM refers to the material in the test, not to fresh material.

Sources: Calabro’ et al. (2020); Üveges et al. (2023); Zhang et al. (2018).

The composition of the raw material varies between batches — for plant calculations use an analysis of your own sample. The calculator inserts typical values automatically.

Process properties

slowly degrading
fibrous
editorial classification

Low confidence: the description is based on general characteristics of the substrate group, not on studies of this material. Treat it as a hint to be verified.

Advantages

Methane potential in the Substraty.pl BMP dataset: weighted mean 354.7 m³ CH₄/t VS (SD 62.9; 10 records, 3 sources).
Cellophane and cellulose products are susceptible to anaerobic degradation (Hendriks and Zeeman 2009).

Drawbacks and risks

Synthetic coatings and mineral fillers remain in the digestate.

Co-digestion — what to combine it with, what to watch out for

combines well
substrates: high alkalinity (buffer) — e.g. Cattle manure, Pig slurry, Cattle slurry, Duck slurry, Rumen and digestive tract content
^[1]

Dosing

No source threshold.

Introduce gradually, starting with a small dose and monitoring the process (e.g. FOS/TAC, pH, gas composition).

Practical requirements

Shred: shredding increases the surface available for degradation and speeds it up, but does not necessarily raise the final gas yield (FNR 2010, Ch. 3 “Triturado”).

Sources of the process data

The co-digestion calculator will assess a specific mixture containing this substrate.

What it is and where it comes from

Cellulose films and packaging are products made of cellulose or its derivatives: cellophane, disposable cellulose plates and tableware, and packaging with added calcium carbonate. They are made from wood fibres or cotton, and are sometimes coated with varnishes or a thin layer of another plastic. They enter the packaging waste stream, and compostable products are sometimes collected together with biowaste.

Properties relevant to digestion

Cellulose is a glucose polymer which, after hydrolysis, gives an easily assimilated sugar, so the theoretical methane potential is high. The limitation is speed: the crystalline structure of cellulose means that hydrolysis is often the limiting step. Cellophane, made from regenerated cellulose, is less crystalline and degrades more readily than paper. In packaging containing calcium carbonate, part of the dry matter is mineral substance, which is not VS. Synthetic plastic coatings remain largely undegraded. The material contributes practically no ammonia or hydrogen sulphide, but being poor in nitrogen it needs supplementing in the mix so as not to upset the C/N ratio.

How to read the spread of results

The results cover several varieties: cellulose plates, packaging with CaCO₃, and products described only as cellulose or its derivatives. Differences stem from the recipe (share of cellulose and fillers), the presence of coatings, the thickness of the material and size reduction. The way of converting to VS also matters, that is, whether ash was taken into account, as does the length of the test, because cellulose degrades with a delay. The compilation brings together different laboratories and inocula of differing cellulolytic activity, which further widens the spread.

In biogas plant practice

Cellulose packaging is not a typical substrate, but as an admixture to biowaste it contributes additional carbon. Before digestion it is worth size-reducing it and mixing it well, to avoid layering and a floating crust in the chamber. Because of the mineral fillers, sediment at the bottom must be expected. Admission to the plant depends on the waste code and the permits held, and each stream must be assessed for the presence of coatings and other impurities.

When assessing such a stream, a simple visual check helps: the presence of metallised layers, laminates with plastics or printing changes both the result and the amount of residue in the digestate. A trial BMP test for the specific batch is also good practice, because the literature data describe other recipes.

Methodology in brief

BMP is the amount of methane obtained from volatile solids (VS) in a batch test, given in m³ CH₄ per tonne of VS (numerically the same as NmL CH₄/g VS in the publications) and converted to normal conditions (0 °C, 101.325 kPa). The weighted mean gives each publication a total weight of 1, split equally between its results for the substrate — a paper testing twenty varieties does not outweigh a paper with a single sample. In inter-laboratory programmes the unit is the laboratory (total weight 1), and within it the weight of a test grows with the number of bottles (replicates). Results after pretreatment (e.g. thermal, chemical, enzymatic) are shown separately and are not included in the mean.

Solid lines are curves measured in the tests. Where a publication gives only the final result, we draw a first-order kinetic model, B(t) = B₀·(1 − e^−kt): only the end point comes from the publication, and the shape of the curve serves purely as visualisation — do not read the production on a particular day from it. For this substrate k = 0.091 d⁻¹ was assumed (no kinetic data for the group – the median of all available rate constants k (93 values) was used).

The statistics describe the spread of published results — a descriptive compilation, not a meta-analysis or a guarantee of plant yield.

Full methodology and correction policy

Bibliography

All sources of the site: bibliography.