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What is peat - properties, characteristics and applications. Minerals: Peat Formation of peat briefly

Almost everyone knows that peat is a decomposed substance of the remains of animals and plants, which contains various minerals, but few people know how peat is formed. Let's try to understand this issue.

What is peat?

This element is a mineral that has combustible properties. It is formed as a result of the decomposition of animals and marsh plants (mainly) in conditions of lack of oxygen and high humidity. At the same time, certain biochemical processes also take place.

Considering how peat is formed, many scientists consider it to be a precursor to coal. Of course, there are specific differences between the two materials. In particular, peat in its original form has more than 50% organic compounds in relation to the dry mass. It differs from it by a higher content of moisture, plant residues, hemicelluloses, sugars and cellulose.

You can find this product on the surface of the earth or at a depth of 10 meters from the cover of mineral deposits. It is worth noting that many confuse it with soil, but these are completely different elements. Peat differs from soil in the content of organic matter. Therefore, it is a fairly useful mineral that can either be on the surface of the soil or lie at a depth. Yes, it is made up of plant remains and can be considered a precursor to coal.

What is peat made from?

It is known that this product consists of mineral and organic particles, as well as not completely decomposed herbaceous plants. It may contain branches of trees, roots of shrubs, moss, bark. All this serves as a "raw material" for the formation of peat.

The very process of its appearance is based on complex biochemical processes - the decomposition of plant remains. Microorganisms (fungi, bacteria) take part in their decomposition. Their activity during decomposition is very intensive, and it is thanks to them that the rapid decay of the structure of plants and the leaching of phytomass are possible. This is how the peat layer in the soil is formed.

It is known that the most active phase of decomposition of plant residues occurs in spring and summer, although the rate of decomposition also largely depends on the composition of the plants themselves and the acid-base environment in which this process occurs.

About 30% of the initial mass of plants becomes pure peat, the rest is converted into minerals, they subsequently flow out with internal water flows or evaporate into the atmosphere. Now you know how peat is formed.

Peat bogs

Note that a large number of of this material is found at the bottom of swamps. The fact is that swamps can be covered with moss - sphagnum, which is one of the many elements of "raw materials". Peat is formed from sphagnum as a result of dying off and settling to the bottom of the latter. Also, the underwater parts of plants die off and also fall. As a result, a large amount of plant remains accumulate there. Given that there is very little oxygen in water, the decomposition process takes a long time. Within a thousand years, peat can form from the remains of dead plants at the bottom of the swamp.

Note that the swamp ecosystem is explained to children in the 3rd grade. How peat is formed is one of the topics of this section. It is not necessary to understand all the subtleties of the biochemical process of the formation of this material. It is enough to know that it is a product of decay of dead plants.

Application in agriculture

Previously, peat was used in thermal and power plants, but the discovery of large deposits of coal and gas overshadowed this material. Today it is actively used in agriculture for:

Creation of effective fertilizers and growth stimulators.
Making tablets for seedlings.
Creation of fertile soils.
Creation of covering material for the winter.

Considering what peat is made of, it is not surprising that its main use is to create fertilizers. And although it is possible to use it as a fuel in power plants, this has long been abandoned.

Other areas

Also, the material can be used as an adsorbent in case of water pollution. In medicine, it is used to create therapeutic mud baths and even to obtain medicines. Medical ethyl alcohol, furfural, oxalic acid and other substances are obtained with its help.

Fuel briquettes are also made from the material, which are used to heat the house. Its application is also possible in the field of construction, in particular in the construction of road embankments. When erecting buildings for special purposes, peat insulation boards and peat panels can be used.

This material can also be refined by dry distillation in special peat coking ovens. The distillation yields peat coke and by-products in the form of tars. They can serve as valuable raw materials for further processing. In particular, wax, phenols, paraffins and even acetic acid can be obtained.

Now you know how peat is formed and used, but these are far from all areas of its application. It can even be used as a packaging material. If processed to a powder state, then it will become an excellent "package" for storing and transporting vegetables.

Finally

Considering what peat is formed from, we can conclude that it is a renewable energy source and a valuable material for Agriculture. Many countries extract and use it at an industrial level. They study it in detail and come up with new ways to use the material.

Peat is a mineral. It is of plant origin. The process of its formation lasts for many years. The basis of peat is the remains of plants, such as moss, grass, wood, which, under conditions of high humidity and lack of oxygen, were not fully mineralized.

Many millions of years ago, peat began to form on our planet, or rather, from the time when the first plants appeared on Earth. Conditions for the formation of peat:

a large number of dying plants
high humidity level
low oxygen levels.

Under such conditions, plants with varying degrees of decomposition are stored, increasing in volume for centuries, becoming peat bogs in which peat is formed. At the same time, the swamp is an ecosystem in which peat accumulates. Dead plant remains first undergo biochemical decomposition. During this process, a significant weight loss is observed against the background of intensive work of microorganisms. This occurs at a depth of 20 - 90 centimeters. Decomposition continues throughout the warm period of the year, in conditions of low levels ground water.Naturally, the level and speed of the biomass decomposition process directly depends on the type of plants. And also on how much chemical substances are contained in the mass, such as nitrogen, protein, calcium, water-soluble organic compounds. It should be noted that only 8-33% of the total biomass becomes peat. Everything else decomposes to complete mineralization, and then it is absorbed by growing plants, and also evaporates into the atmosphere and is washed out by water flows. It is this small amount of peat that is slowly removed from the peat layer. At this time, isolation from the air occurs. After that, the process of decomposition of plant residues is no longer observed. Peat retains its properties for thousands of years. In the process of lowering earth's crust, peat is buried under new precipitation, which causes its compaction and change, at this time it becomes brown coal, and then stone.

Peat types

Peat can be:

riding
transitional
lowland.

These three species differ in the composition and type of plant biomass from which it was formed, as well as in the conditions of their decomposition. For example, lowland and transitional material is obtained from rotted waste of trees and grass: alder, sedge, green moss and others growing in the swamp. High-moor peat consists of the remains of fragrant wild rosemary, cotton grass and sphagnum mosses. In addition, it contains sand. It is characterized by high acidity and low ash content. But low-lying and transitional, on the contrary, has a high ash content and a slightly acid reaction of the environment. The level of peat decomposition is characterized by the volume of decomposition products. Scientists identify:

highly decomposed, in which 35% are in the process of decay
moderately decomposed, contains 20% degradable material
slightly decomposed, up to 20%.

Table 1. Classification of peat types

Type of	tree group	Woody-herbal group	wood-moss group	herbal group	Grass-moss group	moss group
Lowland	Alder Birch Spruce Pine Lowland Willow	Woody-reedy Woody-sedge lowland	woody-hypnum woody-sphagnum lowland	Horsetail Cane Sedge Rotational Scheuchzeria lowland	Sedge-hypnum Sedge-sphagnum lowland	Hypnum lowland Sphagnum lowland
Transition	woody transitional	Woody-sedge transitional	Woody-sphagnum transitional	Sedge Transitional Scheuchzeria Transitional	sedge-sphagnum transitional	Hypnum transitional Sphagnum transitional
Horse	Pine horse	Pine cotton	Pine-sphagnum	Cotton grass Scheuchzeria riding horse	Pushitz-sphagnum Scheuchzerium-sphagnum	Medium-peat Fuscum-peat Complex high-moor Sphagnum-hollow

Peat properties

Botanical constituents have a significant effect on Chemical properties. So, on the amount of nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen. These compounds are found in peat in a ratio of 48-65%.
The quality of peat depends on the level of decomposition and botanical constituents. Due to their presence, peat can accumulate photosynthesis products. In addition, it does not let heavy metals into the soil, accumulates atmospheric carbon, neutralizes most chemicals in fertilizers.
The content of peat in the fertilizer perfectly nourishes poor, low-fertility, loamy and sandy soil. In addition, peat has natural antiseptic properties, helps in the fight against pathogenic microflora, such as harmful bacteria and fungi.
Peat acts as mulch. This is very important for heavy soils, on which a crust forms after rain. The result of the introduction of peat is an improvement in the structure of the soil, the air and water permeability of the soil increases, and the structure becomes looser.

Table 2. Water physical properties peat

Paragraph	Depth cm	Addition density, g/cm³	Solid phase density, g/cm³	Porosity, %
swamp forest	10	0,135	-	-
swamp forest	20	0,180	-	-
high ryam	10	0,058	1,45	95,99
	20	0,081	1,42	94,30
	30	0,108	1,41	92,34
	40	0,113	1,45	92,22
	50	0,115	1,42	91,87
low ryam	10	-	-	-
	20	0,021	1,64	98,73
	30	0,032	1,62	98,03
	40	0,046	1,61	97,17
	50	0,047	1,55	96,94
open swamp	10	0,021	1,53	98,63
	20	0,054	-	-
	30	-	1,48	-

PEAT (a. peat; n. Torf; f. tourbe; and. turba) is a combustible mineral of plant origin, a precursor of the genetic series of coals. It is formed as a result of natural death and incomplete decay of marsh plants under the influence of biochemical processes in conditions of high humidity and lack of oxygen. It occurs on the surface of the Earth or at a depth of a few tens of meters under the cover of mineral deposits. Peat differs from soil formations in the content of organic compounds in it (at least 50% relative to the absolutely dry mass), from - in an increased content of moisture and uniform plant residues, and chemically - in the presence of sugars, hemicelluloses and cellulose.

The composition and properties of peat. Consists of incompletely decomposed plant residues, their decay products (humus) and mineral particles; in its natural state contains 86-95% water. Plant residues and humus contain organic and mineral parts, the latter determines the ash content of peat. Humus (humus) gives peat a dark color. The relative content in peat of a structureless (amorphous) mass, including humic substances and small plant tissues that have lost their cellular structure, determines the degree of decomposition. There are slightly decomposed peat (up to 20%), medium decomposed (20-35%) and strongly decomposed (over 35%). The botanical composition of peat contains remains of wood, bark and roots of trees and shrubs, various parts of herbaceous plants, as well as hypnum and sphagnum mosses. Depending on the botanical composition, formation conditions and properties, 3 types of peat are distinguished (see Horse peat,).

The chemical composition and properties of peat are closely related to its type, botanical composition and degree of decomposition. Elemental composition (% of organic mass): C 48-65, O 25-45, H 4.7-7, N 0.6-3.8, S up to 1.2, less often up to 2.5. In the component composition of the organic mass, the content of bitumen (benzene) is 1.2-17 (maximum for high-moor peat of a high degree of decomposition), water-soluble and easily hydrolysable substances 10-60 (maximum for high-moor peat of the moss group), cellulose 2-10, humic acids 10- 50 (minimum for weakly decomposed high-moor and maximum for strongly decomposed peats of all types), lignin (non-hydrolysable residue) 3-20. The content of macro- and microelements in peat depends on the ash content and botanical composition. The content of oxides in peat reaches (average%): Si and Ca - 5, Al and Fe 0.2-1.6, Mg 0.1-0.7, R 0.05-0.14; microelements (mg/kg): Zn up to 250, Cu 0.2-85, Co and Mo 0.1-10, Mn 2-1000. The maximum content of these elements was found in lowland peat. The content of total nitrogen in the organic mass of peat varies from 0.6 to 2.5% (upland type) and from 1.3 to 3.8% (lowland type).

Peat is a complex polydisperse multicomponent system; its physical properties depend on the composition of the solid phase, the degree of its decomposition or dispersion (see), and the degree of moisture. Depending on the type and degree of decomposition, the color of peat varies from light yellow to dark brown (upland) and from cepo-brown to earthy black (lowland). The structure of high-moor peat varies from spongy (moss peat), spongy-fibrous to plastic-viscous (woody peat), lowland - from felt, band-layered to granular-lumpy. The density of peat depends on humidity, degree of decomposition, ash content, composition of mineral and organic parts, in natural conditions the deposit reaches 800-1080 kg/m 3 ; dry matter density 1400-1700 kg/m 3 . The moisture capacity of peat, depending on the botanical composition and degree of decomposition, ranges from 6.4 to 30 kg/kg. Maximum in high-moss peat of the moss group. reaches 96-97%, the limiting shear stress decreases with increasing moisture content and the degree of decomposition of peat from 3 to 35 kPa, with penetration (probing) up to 400 kPa. The average calorific value of peat is 21-25 MJ/kg, it increases with the degree of decomposition and bitumen content. Peat small degree decomposition has low values of the coefficient of thermal conductivity and specific heat of combustion (10-12.5 MJ/kg), high values of gas absorption capacity. The filtration coefficient of peat with undisturbed structure varies from 0.1.10 -5 to 4.3.10 -5 m/s. The minimum values are for high-moor peat of a high degree of decomposition, the maximum is for low-lying peat. With drying, the filtration coefficient decreases several times.

Peat research methods. Information about the properties and composition of peat, the revealed patterns of their changes and relationships are used to address the issues of genesis, the formation of peat deposits and deposits, to predict the quality of peat during prospecting, create regional exploration schemes, determine the direction of use, design technology for the extraction and processing of peat. Methods for studying peat include determining the botanical composition, degree of decomposition, humidity, ash content, acidity, elemental composition of peat, content of macro- and microelements, component composition of organic matter (bitumen, water-soluble and easily hydrolysable substances, humic acids, cellulose, lignin), heat of combustion, physical and mechanical properties. Methods of analyzes are unified by GOSTs. When determining the botanical composition and degree of decomposition of peat, a microscopic method and centrifugation are used; humidity - a typical method of drying in an oven at a temperature of 105-110 ° C; ash content - method of combustion in a muffle furnace at a temperature of 800°C with preliminary drying of the sample to an absolutely dry state; acidity - electrometric method. To determine the elemental composition, the content of macro- and microelements in peat, the composition of water and some other properties, standard methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis, isotopic, etc. are used. , 4% HCl solution (to analyze the content of water-soluble and easily hydrolysable substances), 0.1% NaOH solution (for the content of humic acids) and 80% H 2 SO 4 solution (to determine difficultly hydrolysable substances - cellulose and non-hydrolysable the rest is lignin). The heat of combustion is determined by the calorimetric method. The dispersity of peat is examined by sieve, sedimentometric and electron microscopic methods. The ultimate shear stress of peat is determined in the field by a shear vane gauge.

History of peat research. The first information about peat as "combustible earth" for heating food dates back to 46 AD. and are found in Pliny the Elder in the Natural History. In the 12th-13th centuries. peat as a fuel material was known in Holland and Scotland. In 1658, the world's first book on peat was published in Groningen. Latin(Martin Schock "A Treatise on Peat"). Numerous misconceptions about the origin of peat were refuted in 1729 by the German researcher I. Degner, who used a microscope to study it and proved the plant origin of peat. The formation of peat business in Russia dates back to the end of the 17th century. The expeditions of the Academy of Sciences laid the foundation for the study of the swamps of Russia. The Free Economic Society widely promoted peat in its writings. The first Russian academicians M. V. Lomonosov, I. G. Leman, V. F. Zuev, I. I. Lepekhin, V. M. Severgin, and others paid attention to the problem of the formation and use of peat. In the 19th century The works of V. V. Dokuchaev, S. G. Navashin, G. I. Tanfiliev, A. F. Flerov, and others are devoted to the study of peat. L. A. Sytin, P. M. Solovyov, I. I. Vikhlyaev, R. E. Klasson, G. M. Krzhizhanovsky, V. D. Kirpichnikov, and E. S. Menshikov , G. B. Krasin and others.

After the Great October Socialist Revolution, scientific, industrial and educational organizations were created for the comprehensive study of peat and its use in the national economy - the Central Research Institute of the Peat Industry (Instorf), the Moscow Peat Institute, etc., in the 30-40s. educational and research centers are also organized in Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. Large-scale studies of swamps and peat fund were launched, as a result of which cadastres and maps of peat deposits were compiled, geographical patterns of their distribution were revealed. Works by V. S. Dokturovsky, N. V. Sukachev, N. Ya. Kats, S. N. Tyuremnov, M. I. Neishtadt, N. I. Pyavchenko, E. A. Galkina, M. S. Boch, A V. Pichugina, K. E. Ivanova, I. F. Largina, and others, devoted to the development and structure of swamps and peat bogs, laid the scientific foundations of swamp science. The classification of peat deposits developed by Soviet scientists has been adopted for use by the International Peat Society (MTO).

Peat formation. The place of peat formation is peat bogs, found both in river valleys (floodplains, terraces) and on watersheds (Fig. 1).

The origin of peat is associated with the annual growth of plants in swamps, their death, accumulation and incomplete decay of phytomass under conditions of excessive moisture and insufficient oxygen. The dead part of plants undergoes mainly biochemical decomposition. Their significant loss in weight at the first stages of destruction occurs due to the intensive activity of microorganisms and leaching. The process of plant decomposition ends in the upper (depth 0.2-0.9 m) peat layer of the deposit under the influence of heterotrophic soil destructor organisms, among which are numerous invertebrates and microorganisms (bacteria, fungi). The decomposition of plant residues on the surface and in the peat layer occurs mainly in the warm season, at low levels of groundwater. The intensity and degree of decomposition of biomass depends on the type of plants, their chemical composition(the content of proteins, nitrogen, calcium, easily hydrolysable carbohydrates and water-soluble organic compounds), acidity of the environment, climatic conditions, water and air saturation of the peat layer, the composition of incoming minerals and other factors. From 8 to 33% of the biomass is converted into peat. The rest decomposes to complete mineralization, is absorbed by living plants, escapes into the atmosphere or is washed out by the filtration flow, incl. part of organic substances in the form of humic, fulvic acids and other compounds. The resulting peat is buried by the accumulating phytomass, removed from the peat layer and isolated from the air. The decomposition of plant residues in it almost stops, and it retains its properties for thousands of years. The average rate of peat accumulation is different and depends on the prevailing initial plant groups (see Peat-bog phytocenoses), geographic and climatic zonation, hydrological and other conditions, and varies from 0.2-0.4 mm (forest-tundra swamps) to 1 mm (coniferous - broad-leaved subzone).

The maximum value in the CCCP of 2 mm was noted for the marshes of the Rioni Lowland.

The stratigraphic classification of peat (Fig. 2), developed in the CCCP, is based on the ratio of the contents of plant remains of different trophicity (oligotrophic and eutrophic) and different groups (life forms) - woody, herbaceous and moss.

In accordance with the composition of plant residues and their trophicity, peat is classified into one of 3 types: upland, transitional, and lowland. Each type is subdivided into 3 subtypes according to the content of wood residues in peat: forest, forest-marsh, and marsh. Peat of various subtypes differs in the degree of decomposition. Peat of the forest subtype has a high degree of decomposition (40-60%), marsh peat has a minimum degree of decomposition (5-25%), forest-bog peat occupies an intermediate position. Peat subtypes are divided into groups consisting of species. A species is the lowest taxonomic unit of peat classification, reflecting the initial plant grouping (phytocenosis) and the primary conditions for the formation of peat, characterized by a certain composition and predominance of the remains of certain plant species, for example, lowland sphagnum, sedge-hypnum, pine-cotton grass, cotton grass-sphagnum. Each type of peat has a certain range of changes in quality indicators. This classification was developed on the basis of peat species found mostly in the deposits of the Middle and North-Western parts of the European territory of the CCCP and Western Siberia. The most common of them are: magellanicum, complex riding, woody lowland, sedge. In some regions of the CCCP and other countries, due to local ecological features, other phytocenoses were formed, so other types of peat can be distinguished.

Modern peat deposits formed over 10-12 thousand years. In the Holocene, swamp and peat-forming processes developed widely on the vast territory of the CCCP (over 100 million hectares). Buried peat, accumulated between glaciations, was overlain by loose deposits of varying thickness as a result of changes in the erosion basis. Its age is estimated in tens of millennia; unlike modern peat, buried peat is characterized by lower humidity and higher ash content.

The extracted peat is stored in field piles for an average of about 6 months. Most effective method storage and combating self-heating and spontaneous combustion of peat - isolation of stacks from atmospheric air a layer of wet peat, covering it with an insulating polymer film.

Transport. Transportation of peat from the production areas of peat enterprises to consumers or processing shops is carried out mainly by narrow-gauge (750 mm) railway transport. The transport economy has an extensive network of railway tracks, rolling stock of vehicles for various purposes, locomotives, loading and reloading facilities, machines and tools for laying, repairing and maintaining tracks, etc. All types of transport work are mechanized. Peat for agriculture and fuel for small consumers is delivered by cars or tractors.

Application. In the 16-17 centuries. coke was burned out of peat, resin was obtained, it was used in agriculture and medicine. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. began industrial production peat coke and resin. In the 30-50s. peat began to be used for the production of gas and as a municipal fuel. Among modern areas of application of peat, fuel makes up a smaller share. Only a few countries continue to use peat as a fuel for power plants (milled peat) and for domestic purposes (peat briquettes and lumps). Many countries use peat in agriculture on a large scale - for the preparation of composts (see Composting of peat), peat-ammonia, peat-mineral fertilizers; in vegetable growing and floriculture - as a greenhouse soil, micro-greenhouses, molded substrates, briquettes and peat pots for growing seedlings, seedlings and seedlings of tree species; in the form of turf carpets - for landscaping, fixing slopes. Peat of a low degree of decomposition, mainly of the moss group (sphagnum), has a high gas and water absorption capacity, antiseptic properties, is used as bedding for animals and birds, for wastewater treatment and as an adsorbent when water is polluted with oil. Low thermal conductivity and high sound-absorbing capacity provide peat of this group with wide application in construction. From peat, coke is obtained for metallurgical plants, Activated carbon. Peat is used to obtain a number of chemical products (ethyl alcohol, oxalic acid, furfural, etc.), fodder yeast, physiologically active substances, peat wax; in medicine - for peat-mud treatment, as well as for the production of medicinal preparations.

According to the approximate calculations of scientists, as of today, the peat reserves on our planet are about five hundred billion tons. At the same time, a significant proportion of them is concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason for this is quite simple and is related to climatic features, namely, indicators of precipitation and average annual humidity. This article will discuss what peat is, as well as its types, characteristics and applications.

General concept

First of all, it should be noted that it is one of the types of solid minerals that is most often used in the production of fuel. It forms in swampy areas and is the result of a massive accumulation of various organic elements that have not completely decomposed. As a rule, the thickness of the deposits of its layers is not less than thirty centimeters. It should be noted that peat is more than half of which consists of carbon. In addition to it, the composition includes calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, nitrogen, as well as humic acids and vegetable fibers. Modern science distinguishes two main types of it - lowland and highland peat.

Areas of use

The fossil has found quite extensive use. In particular, in the field of agriculture, the use of peat is associated with the production of fertile fertilizers, the processes of greening city streets, mulching the soil, and so on. It often acts as a bedding for livestock. In addition, it is used in the form of fuel, as well as for the production of medicines.

Main characteristics

As already noted, numerous beneficial features peat allow it to be used in a variety of areas of human activity. In particular, the fossil provides a significant improvement in the air-water state of soils, thereby increasing their fertility and productivity. At the same time, we must not forget the nuance that before use in floriculture or horticulture, it must be weathered, which will eliminate acids harmful to many plants. This takes an average of three years. Moreover, the substance provides a high moisture content of various soil mixtures produced on its basis.

The fossil plays a very important role in nature. The fact is that it accumulates the products of photosynthesis and atmospheric carbon. Among other things, the substance acts as a kind of natural water filter, since the properties of peat make it possible to remove various impurities from its composition, which even include its ecological function.

lowland peat

The first of the fossils mentioned above is characterized by a low level of acidity. It contains many nutrients, which makes it an excellent fertilizer. The extraction of this type of peat is usually carried out in swamps formed in floodplains or near the foot of the slopes. Its useful properties are associated with constant saturation with water due to adjacent reservoirs, and the Fossil can be weakly decomposed, moderately decomposed, or strongly decomposed. It is the latter option that is considered best solution to fertilize the soil.

riding view

High-moor peat is a variety that was formed as a result of the decomposition of cotton grass, pine or sphagnum under the influence of precipitation. In most cases, it acts as a fuel or component various materials used for thermal insulation of premises. In addition, with the help of it it is often produced. A characteristic feature of the species is the absence of pests, pathogens, and weed seeds in its composition. In this regard, the fossil is often found in greenhouses and greenhouses. Be that as it may, one cannot fail to note the fact that it is poor in nutrients and quite sour. This makes it possible to use it as a fertilizer only for some plant species.

Education

Speaking about what peat is, one cannot fail to note the order in which this fossil was formed. It arises as a result of the death of plants in a swampy area, which then rot under the influence of an excess amount of moisture and in conditions of a lack of oxygen. The substance is brown or black in color and is fibrous in structure. Under natural conditions, it contains a large proportion of water.

Key parameters

A peat deposit is a concentration of interlayers of matter of different nature and type, which is located on a certain area. In the event that its depth in the undrained state reaches seventy centimeters, it is considered a geological reserve. It should be noted that peat is a raw material, which in the process of its formation acquires a unique content of phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and other minerals. In addition, different deposits differ in such indicators as humification, ash content and percentage of moisture.

The concept of humification means the percentage of carbon contained in peat, as well as fertile and nutritious elements, to its total mass. If this indicator does not exceed 20 percent, the deposit has a minimum degree of decomposition, when it is in the range from 20 to 35 percent - medium, and in other cases - high.

Under relative humidity peat refers to the amount of water in the total mass as a percentage, and absolute - the same value, expressed in grams.

Ash content is another important parameter that characterizes peat. This value shows in percentage the ratio between the content of mineral components and the amount of dry matter.

Risks and dangers associated with peat

There are certain dangers behind the development of peatlands. First of all, they are related to the fact that in the process of drying, the release of previously absorbed carbon dioxide. In addition, many of us have heard about As studies show, they never arise on their own, because they are the result of human activity aimed at draining and mineralizing peatlands.

Peat is a loose sedimentary rock, which is a valuable combustible mineral. Peat is formed by the accumulation of plant remains that have undergone incomplete decomposition in swamp conditions. Peat is the precursor of the genetic series of coals. It is formed as a result of natural death and incomplete decay of marsh plants under the influence of biochemical processes in conditions of high humidity and lack of oxygen. It occurs on the surface of the Earth or at a depth of a few tens of meters under the cover of mineral deposits. Peat differs from soil formations in the content of organic compounds in it (at least 50% relative to the absolutely dry mass), from brown coal in its increased moisture content and formed plant residues, and chemically in the presence of sugars, hemicelluloses and cellulose.

Peat consists of incompletely decomposed plant residues, their decay products (humus) and mineral particles; in its natural state contains 86-95% water. Plant residues and humus contain organic and mineral parts, the latter determines the ash content of peat. Humus (humus) gives peat a dark color. The relative content in peat of a structureless (amorphous) mass, including humic substances and small plant tissues that have lost their cellular structure, determines the degree of decomposition. There are slightly decomposed peat (up to 20%), medium decomposed (20-35%) and strongly decomposed (over 35%). The botanical composition of peat contains remains of wood, bark and roots of trees and shrubs, various parts of herbaceous plants, as well as hypnum and sphagnum mosses. Depending on the botanical composition, conditions of formation and properties, three types of peat are distinguished: high-moor peat, transitional peat and low-lying peat.

Peat is a complex polydisperse multicomponent system; its physical properties depend on the composition of the solid phase, the degree of its decomposition or dispersion, and the degree of moisture. Depending on the type and degree of decomposition, the color of peat varies from light yellow to dark brown (upland) and from cepo-brown to earthy black (lowland). The structure of high-moor peat varies from spongy (moss peat), spongy-fibrous to plastic-viscous (woody peat), low-lying - from felt, ribbon-layered to granular-lumpy. The density of peat depends on humidity, degree of decomposition, ash content, composition of mineral and organic parts; under natural conditions, the deposit reaches 800-1080 kg/m3; dry matter density 1400-1700 kg/m3. The moisture capacity of peat, depending on the botanical composition and degree of decomposition, ranges from 6.4 to 30 kg/kg. Maximum in high-moss peat of the moss group. The porosity reaches 96-97%, the limiting shear stress decreases with increasing moisture content and the degree of decomposition of peat from 3 to 35 kPa, with penetration (probing) up to 400 kPa. The average calorific value of peat is 21-25 MJ/kg. It increases with an increase in the degree of decomposition and the content of bitumen. Peat of a low degree of decomposition has low values of the coefficient of thermal conductivity and specific heat of combustion (10-12.5 MJ/kg), high values of gas absorption capacity.

Peat is also distinguished by the nature of the vegetation that makes it up - sphagnum, hypnum, sedge, reed, woody (forest), etc. A particularly large variety of peat is observed in peat bogs that have arisen on the site of lakes. These peatlands are characterized by highest power reaching up to 10 meters or more. Peat reserves in Russia are very large, they account for more than 50% of world reserves. The great practical importance of peat is well known. A number of power plants of medium and small capacity operate on peat fuel. Peat satisfies a significant part of the household needs of the population. As a result of processing, valuable substances are obtained from peat: alcohol, phenol, paraffin, etc. Heat-insulating boards used in construction are made from it, it is also used as a fertilizer.

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Rock properties

rock type	sedimentary rock

Color	brown

Catalog of Minerals

The first is the identification of physical and geographical features of peat formation processes; phytocenological, ecological, paleobotanical, palynological study of peat deposits and swamps
Scientific research focuses mainly on the study of individual peat deposits, types of deposits and types of peat. This complicates the assessment of the potential significance of the peat resources of individual countries and, all the more, limits the forecasting of their development for certain purposes.
Along with the considered concept, there is also the concept of "bog forest", which we follow to designate the forest stage of swamp development. This stage is characterized by the predominance of marsh plants in the ground cover, a well-developed peaty or peat soil horizon.
In Russia, the Czech Republic, and the FRG, drained peat deposits are developed for garden and cereal crops, for planting garden trees and as pastures and grasslands.
Exploring the problems of classification and genesis of peat found in Central Europe, Polish scientists give a number of generalizations. For example, they believe that the typological subdivisions of peat that have existed so far have proceeded, depending on the authors, from very different criteria.