BMP testingFruit, vegetables and their residues

Coriander — BMP: 5 studies, weighted mean 255 m³ CH₄/t VS

Coriander (whole plant, roots and stems) is a herb waste of low lignin; it contains essential oils which at a large share can inhibit digestion.

CH₄ ≈ 58 % (estimate)

Published 13 May 2021Updated 29 October 20263 min readFeedstockData Editorial Team

Photo Thamizhpparithi Maari / Wikimedia Commons, licence CC BY-SA 3.0, source file; changes: cropping

Weighted mean: 255m³ CH₄/t VS
Range: 200–325m³ CH₄/t VS
Records: 5studies
Publications: 2sources
Temperatures: 35 °Cof the test

Methane in biogas

≈55–60% CH₄

Medium methane content · ≈ 5.8 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 4.8 % 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

not rated — editorial rating for biogas plants

Not rated: no dry matter or volatile solids in the data. We calculate the rating when the dry matter and volatile solids of the material are known.

Editorial rating per the methodology

Add to the co-digestion calculator CSV data

BMP curves from 5 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 (255); 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

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Source	BMP m³ CH₄/t VS	Temperature	Sample	Curve
Yan et al. (2017) DOI	200	—	Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)	end point (model curve)
Gunaseelan (2004) · 1 DOI	283	35 °C · mesophilic	Coriander roots	end point (model curve)
Gunaseelan (2004) · 2 DOI	309	35 °C · mesophilic	Coriander stems	end point (model curve)
Gunaseelan (2004) · 3 DOI	322	35 °C · mesophilic	Coriander whole plant	end point (model curve)
Gunaseelan (2004) · 4 DOI	325	35 °C · mesophilic	Coriander Leaves	end point (model curve)
Weighted mean	255	arithmetic mean 288, SD 52

Typical composition

Volatile solids (VS): 83.3 % DM (range 73.1–85.7)
Nitrogen: 4.8 % DM
C/N ratio: 7.9

Median and range of the determinations reported in the publications behind this substrate's BMP records (read from: BCBPD, MY-D); dry matter: 0 determinations, volatile solids: 5 determinations. C/N was calculated as the ratio of C and N content (% DM) from the same source. No DM in the sources – the calculator has to ask for a value.

Sources: Yan et al. (2017); Gunaseelan (2004).

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

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.

No published process studies

The literature we use does not describe the advantages or drawbacks of digesting this substrate beyond the BMP test results. Below are process characteristics assigned on the basis of the type of material — an editorial classification, not a study result.

dilutes the feed (low DM): low dry matter, dilutes the feed
seasonal: seasonal availability — requires storage
poor in trace elements: poor in trace elements — mono-digestion requires supplementation
variable composition: high variability of composition between batches

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

combines well
substrates: nitrogen-rich — e.g. Pig slurry, Poultry manure, Waste activated sludge (secondary sludge), Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis salina
A nitrogen-rich co-substrate balances the low C/N of fruit and vegetable waste (Bouallagui et al. 2009).^[1]

Dosing

No source limits on the dose for this substrate.

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

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is a spice and vegetable plant also grown in Poland, mainly for seeds and green leaves. Biomass waste arises after seed harvest, in the cultivation of green leaves and in the processing of herbs. This description covers the whole plant, and also its fractions studied separately, i.e. roots and stems.

Properties relevant to digestion

The green part of the plant has a high moisture content, and the dry matter consists of fibre (cellulose, hemicellulose), protein and sugars, with a moderate lignin content. Stems and roots are more woody than leaves, particularly after seed ripening. The plant contains essential oils, including linalool, which at high concentrations have antimicrobial activity. In typical co-digestion, where the plant is only a small additive, the risk of inhibition is limited, but in batches of mono-substrate or at a large share it should be taken into account.

How to read the spread of results

The dataset contains several sources and records, including results for the whole plant and for roots and stems. The fractions differ in structure and composition, so they should not be treated as identical. The results also depend on the vegetation stage (green plant versus mature after seeding), size reduction, the method of preserving the sample and the inoculum. For some results no test temperature is stated, and in one case it is a mesophilic condition.

In biogas plant practice

Coriander is a niche material, available in small quantities, so it rarely affects the operation of an installation. It can be introduced together with slurry or other plant waste, in a moderate share. It requires size reduction, particularly of the stems. Storing green mass without ensiling leads to rapid losses. Waste from the production and processing of herbs is subject to the waste regulations if it comes from outside the farm producing the biogas.

When coriander waste comes from drying or from the distillation of oils, its composition changes significantly, because part of the volatile compounds is removed; such material must be assessed separately, because results for the fresh plant do not transfer directly to it.

Because of the small scale and the dispersion of herb waste, its use in a biogas plant is usually limited to farms that grow spice plants themselves and can introduce them into the digester without long storage and transport.

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 = 0.245 d⁻¹ was assumed (median of rate constants k reported in the sources and/or fitted to the mean measured curves).

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.