Correlation between biogas yield and chemical composition of energy crops

•41 energy crops were analyzed in batch anaerobic digestion tests.•Furthermore, the chemical composition of all samples was determined.•80% of the sample variation on biogas yield can be explained through lignin.•Lignin and hemicellulose are suggested as model variables. The scope of this study was to investigate the influence of the chemical composition of energy crops on biogas and methane yield. In total, 41 different plants were analyzed in batch test and their chemical composition was determined. For acid detergent lignin (ADL) content below 10% of total solids, a significant negative correlation for biogas and methane yields (r≈−0.90) was observed. Based on a simple regression analysis, more than 80% of the sample variation can be explained through ADL. Based on a principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis, ADL and hemicellulose are suggested as suitable model variables for biogas yield potential predictions across plant species.