BMP testingFood and catering wastesingle study (3 samples)

Supermarket waste (mixed) — BMP: 3 studies, weighted mean 417 m³ CH₄/t VS

Mixed supermarket waste (out-of-date food) has a high potential and a variable composition; replicates of a single mixed sample were tested.

CH₄ ≈ 66 % (estimate)

Published 22 May 2021Updated 29 October 20263 min readFeedstockData Editorial Team

Illustration: FeedstockData (AI, Google Gemini)

Weighted mean: 417m³ CH₄/t VS
Range: 400–440m³ CH₄/t VS
Records: 3single study (3 samples)
Publications: 1source
Temperatures: 36 °Cof the test

Methane in biogas

≈60–69% CH₄

High methane content · ≈ 6.6 kWh/m³ of biogas

estimate from the substrate type The collected studies contain no measurement. The interval follows from the approximate composition (protein-rich (process classification); fat-rich (process classification)) 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 3 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 (417); 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
Alkanok et al. (2014) · 1 DOI	400	36 °C · mesophilic	mixed waste	end point (model curve)
Alkanok et al. (2014) · 2 DOI	410	36 °C · mesophilic	mixed waste	end point (model curve)
Alkanok et al. (2014) · 3 DOI	440	36 °C · mesophilic	mixed waste	end point (model curve)
Weighted mean	417	arithmetic mean 417, SD 21

Process properties

easily degradable
protein-rich
fat-rich
physical contaminants
ABP cat. 3
variable composition
saline
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 416.7 m³ CH₄/t VS (SD 20.8; 3 records, 1 source).
A mixture of carbohydrates, protein and fat gives a broad degradation profile (Zhang et al. 2007).

Drawbacks and risks

Plastic packaging, glass and metal (Mata-Alvarez et al. 2000).
Composition depends on the day and the product range - variable VFA/NH3 risk (Zhang et al. 2007).
Preservatives, salt and alcohol may inhibit (Chen et al. 2008).

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
Slurry supplies N, alkalinity and trace elements.^[1][2]
combines well
substrates: source of trace elements — e.g. Cattle manure, Cattle slurry, Rumen and digestive tract content, Sugarcane filter cake / press mud
^[3]

Dosing

No source-based threshold; start with a low share after several batch analyses.

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

Practical requirements

ABP cat. 3 (Art. 10 of Reg. 1069/2009; admitted to biogas plants by Art. 14): hygienisation before the digester in a mandatory unit: shredding to a maximum of 12 mm, temperature throughout the mass of at least 70 °C for at least 60 min without interruption (Reg. 142/2011, Annex V Ch. I Section 1 and Ch. III Section 1); the installation requires approval by the competent authority (Art. 24(1)(g) of Reg. 1069/2009).
Do not feed hygienised substrate into the digester hot (FNR 2010, Ch. 3: hygienisation).
Remove foreign contaminants before dosing: material from biowaste may contain interfering substances, and the co-substrate should be free of them (FNR 2010, Ch. 3).

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

Supermarket waste consists of food products that have lost their commercial usability: out-of-date, damaged, with compromised packaging, or unsold. It includes bread, fruit and vegetables, cold cuts, meat, dairy, ready meals and drinks. In the food waste hierarchy, priority goes to preventing waste and passing food on for consumption, and only then to energy recovery. The dataset contains replicates of a mixed sample from one supermarket, tested at mesophilic temperature.

Properties relevant to digestion

The mixture contains both readily available carbohydrates (bread, fruit, sweets) and protein and fat (meat, dairy, cold cuts), so its methane potential is high. Fats and proteins increase the risk of VFA and ammonia inhibition, and sugars the risk of rapid acidification. The waste contains plastic, metal and glass packaging, which must be removed. Salt, preservatives and alcohol from some products can inhibit microorganisms if the dose is high. The composition depends on the day of the week and on the shop's product range.

How to read the spread of results

Records from a single study are close to each other because they come from the same sample or from replicates. This does not mean that supermarket waste has a constant value: differences between shops, seasons and deliveries can be considerable. The result depends on the share of fatty and protein fractions, the degree of size reduction, the removal of packaging, the substrate-to-inoculum ratio, the adaptation of the inoculum and the temperature. For your own stream it is worth running a series of tests on several batches.

In biogas plant practice

Such waste is a valuable substrate for waste-treatment biogas plants. It requires depackaging (separation of packaging), size reduction and homogenisation and, where components of animal origin are present, also hygienisation in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 and its implementing rules; the plant must hold the relevant approval. Feeding should be steady, with monitoring of pH, volatile acids and ammonia. Food waste is waste within the meaning of the waste act, so permits and BDO register records apply.

Compared with kitchen waste, this stream is usually more uniform over the course of the week, but contains a larger share of packaged and processed products and a smaller share of plate waste. Packaging is therefore the main technological problem, not the methane potential itself.

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 = 0.232 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

Alkanok, G.; Demirel, B.; Onay, T.T. (2014). Determination of biogas generation potential as a renewable energy source from supermarket wastes. Waste Management 34(1), 134–140. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2013.09.015 DOI

All sources of the site: bibliography.