Literature

Numerous investigations on BMP test application and standardization have been conducted in the past few decades. Reference to state of the art guidelines and measurement methods is an essential key to achieve precise and valuable results. The papers listed below include current guidelines, describe measurement methods and report on BMP accuracy or variability. The documents listed on the Methods page synthesize much of the experience represented by these papers. Papers marked with an ► are open access and can be downloaded without a subscription. Papers marked with an ♦ can be sent to you upon request. Please use the contact page to send further suggestions.

Guidelines

Holliger, C.; Alves, M.; Andrade, D.; Angelidaki, I., Astals S.; Baier, U.; Bougrier, C.; Buffière, P.; Carballa, M.; de Wilde, V.; Ebertseder, F.; Fernández, B.; Ficara, E.; Fotidis, I.; Frigon, J.-C.; Fruteau de Laclos, H.; Ghasimi, D. S. M.; Hack, G.; Hartel, M.; Heerenklage, J.; Sarvari Horvath, I.; Jenicek, P.; Koch, K.; Krautwald, J.; Lizasoain, J.; Liu, J.; Mosberger, L.; Nistor, M.; Oechsner, H.; Vítor Oliveira, J.; Paterson, M.; Pauss, A.; Pommier, S.; Porqueddu, I.; Raposo, F.; Ribeiro, T.; Rüsch-Pfund, F.; Strömberg, S.; Torrijos, M.; van Eekert, M.; van Lier, J.; Wedwitschka, H. and Wierinck, I. (2016): Towards a standardization of biomethane potential tests. Water Science & Technology, 74 (11), 2515-2522. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2016.336 ►

Holliger, C.; Astals, S.; Fruteau de Laclos, H.; Hafner, S. D.; Koch, K.; Weinrich, S. (2021): Towards a standardization of biomethane potential tests: a commentary. Water Science & Technology, 83 (1), 247-250. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2020.569 ►

VDI 4630 (2016): Fermentation of organic substances – substrate characterisation, sampling, data collection, fermentation tests. Beuth Verlag, Düsseldorf https://www.vdi.de/richtlinien/details/vdi-4630-vergaerung-organischer-stoffe-substratcharakterisierung-probenahme-stoffdatenerhebung-gaerversuche

VDLUFA (2011): Measurement of biogas and methane yields in fermentation tests. VDLUFA Association Method, VDLUFA-Method book, Vol VII, Environmental Analysis, Method 4.1.1 Verband deutscher landwirtschaftlicher Untersuchungs- und Forschungsanstalten e.V. (Ed.), VDLUFA-Verlag, Darmstadt

Measurement methods

Angelidaki, I.; Alves, M.; Bolzonella, D.; Borzacconi, L.; Campos, J.L.; Guwy, A.J.; Kalyuzhnyi, S.; Jenicek, P.; van Lier, J.B. Defining the biomethane potential (BMP) of solid organic wastes and energy crops: a proposed protocol for batch assays. Water Science and Technology 2009, 59, 927–934. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2009.040

Hafner, S.D.; Astals, S. Systematic error in manometric measurement of biochemical methane potential: Sources and solutions. Waste Management 2019, 91, 147–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.05.001 ♦

Hafner, S.D.; Rennuit, C.; Olsen, P.J.; Pedersen, J.M. Quantification of leakage in batch biogas assays. Water Practice and Technology 2018, 13, 52–61. https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2018.012 ♦

Hafner, S.D.; Rennuit, C.; Triolo, J.M.; Richards, B.K. Validation of a simple gravimetric method for measuring biogas production in laboratory experiments. Biomass and Bioenergy 2015, 83, 297–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.10.003  ♦

Himanshu, H.; Voelklein, M.A.; Murphy, J.D.; Grant, J.; O’Kiely, P. Factors controlling headspace pressure in a manual manometric BMP method can be used to produce a methane output comparable to AMPTS. Bioresour. Technol. 2017, 238, 633–642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.04.088

Justesen, C.G.; Astals, S.; Mortensen, J.R.; Thorsen, R.; Koch, K.; Weinrich, S.; Triolo, J.M.; Hafner, S.D. Development and Validation of a Low-Cost Gas Density Method for Measuring Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP). Water 2019, 11, 2431. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11122431 ►

Owen, W.F.; Stuckey, D.C.; Healy Jr, J.B.; Young, L.Y.; McCarty, P.L. Bioassay for monitoring biochemical methane potential and anaerobic toxicity. Water Research (1979) 13, 485–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(79)90043-5

Richards, B.K.; Cummings, R.J.; White, T.E.; Jewell, W.J. Methods for kinetic-analysis of methane fermentation in high solids biomass digesters. Biomass and Bioenergy (1991) 1, 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/0961-9534(91)90028-B

Rozzi, A.; Remigi, E. Methods of assessing microbial activity and inhibition under anaerobic conditions: a literature review. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 2004, 3, 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-004-5762-z

Strömberg, S.; Nistor, M.; Liu, J. Towards eliminating systematic errors caused by the experimental conditions in Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests. Waste Management 2014, 34, 1939–1948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.07.018

Inter-laboratory comparisons

Raposo, F.; Fernandez-Cegri, V.; De la Rubia, M.A.; Borja, R.; Beline, F.; Cavinato, C.; Demirer, G.; Fernandez, B.; Fernandez-Polanco, M.; Frigon, J.C.; et al. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) of solid organic substrates: evaluation of anaerobic biodegradability using data from an international interlaboratory study. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 2011, 86, 1088–1098. https://doi.org/10.1002/jctb.2622

Cresson, R., S. Pommier, F. Béline, T. Bouchez, C. Bougrier, P.Buffière, J. Cacho, P. Camacho, L. Mazéas, A. Pauss, P. Pouech, T. Ribeiro, M. Rouez, M. Torrijos (2014). Etude interlaboratoires pour l'harmonisation des protocoles de mesure du potentiel bio-méthanogène des matrices solides hétérogènes. Rapport final, ADEME

Fruteau de Laclos, H., Holliger, C. (2018). Etude inter-laboratoire internationale sur les tests «BMP» - Rapport Final 2018. Project website: https://www.aramis.admin.ch/Texte/?ProjectID=33015 ►

Paterson, M., Oechsner, H. and Tillmann, P. (2020) Inter-Laboratory Test: KTBL/VDLUFA-Proficiency Test Biogas. Liebtrau, J., Pfeiffer, D. and Thrän, D. (Ed.) Collection of Measurement Methods for Biogas, Schriftenreihe des BMU-Förderprogramms „Energetische Biomassenutzung“, accepted

Hafner, S.D., Fruteau de Laclos, H., Koch, K., Holliger, C. (2020). Improving Inter-Laboratory Reproducibility in Measurement of Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP). Water, 12, 1752. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12061752 ►

Hafner, S.D., Astals, S., Holliger, C., Koch, K., Nielsen, L., Refsahl, L., Weinrich, S. (2022). Assessing the value of kinetic results from biochemical methane potential tests: Reproducibility from a large inter-laboratory study. Cleaner Chemical Engineering, 4, 100065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clce.2022.100065 ►

Reviews and opinions

Filer, J., Ding, H. H., and Chang, S. (2019). Biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay method for anaerobic digestion research. Water, 11, 921. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11050921 ►

Weinrich, S., Schäfer, F., Bochmann, G. and Liebetrau, J. (2018). Value of batch tests for biogas potential analysis; method comparison and challenges of substrate and efficiency evaluation of biogas plants. Murphy, J.D. (Ed.) IEA Bioenergy Task 37 http://task37.ieabioenergy.com/files/daten-redaktion/download/Technical%20Brochures/Batch_tests_web_END.pdf ►

Koch, K., Hafner, S.D., Weinrich, S., Astals, S. and Holliger, C. (2020): Power and limitations of biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests. In: Frontiers in Energy Research 8, 63. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2020.00063 ►

Software

Hafner, S.D.; Koch, K.; Carrere, H.; Astals, S.; Weinrich, S.; Rennuit, C. Software for biogas research: Tools for measurement and prediction of methane production. SoftwareX 2018, 7, 205–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2018.06.005 ►