Estimating the Methane Potential of Energy Crops: An Overview on Types of Data Sources and Their Limitations

As the anaerobic digestion of energy crops and crop residues becomes more widely applied for bioenergy production, planners operators biogas plants, farmers who consider growing such crops, have a need information on potential methane yields. A rich body literature reports yields variety materials. These data been obtained with different testing methods. This work elaborates an overview types source available methods that are commonly to determine yield agricultural biomass, focus European crops. Limitations regarding transferability generalisation explored, values presented across compared. Large variations were found reported values, which can only partially be explained by applied. Most notably, intra-crop variation (reported single type) was higher than inter-crop (variation between crops). The pronounced differences in indicate relying results from individual assays candidate materials is high-risk approach planning operations, ranges as those here essential provide robust basis estimation.