Peat is known as a fertilizer and mineral of organic origin. It is mined and used in various spheres of human activity. Let's look at what peat is, its properties, how it is formed, how it is mined, and where the largest reserves are located. What types are there, how are they classified according to their characteristics. Where and for what purpose is it used?
What is peat
Peat is rotten or semi-rotten and compressed plant and animal remains mixed with minerals.The mineral is found in swamps; its formation requires humidity and oxygen deficiency. The composition contains the remains of sphagnum mosses and other marsh vegetation. The residue is deposited on the surface of the bogs, then turns into peat, which is considered a sedimentary rock.
The organic origin of the fossil allows it to be used as fertilizer, fuel, material for thermal insulation in construction, for gas production and for other purposes.
Peat performs an important ecological function, accumulates photosynthetic products, and accumulates atmospheric carbon, of which it contains 50-60%.
Mineral deposits are located mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, in Russia, Canada, England, Scandinavian and other European countries.
Basic properties
Loose rock consists of incompletely decomposed plant residues, humus decomposition products and mineral particles. Fresh peat is moist and contains a lot of water. The mineral component determines the ash content of the material. The color, from yellow-brown to black-brown, depends on the quantitative content of humus; the more there is, the darker the mass.
Composition, conditions of formation, properties - according to these criteria, peat is divided into high-moor, transitional and lowland. The largest reserves are represented by the riding type. In terms of acidity and nutrient content, lowland peat is superior to highland peat.
The density of the fossil depends on the composition of organic matter and minerals, the degree of decomposition, humidity, and ash content. The mass is weakly bound, easily crumbles, porous, has low hardness, and weighs little when dry.
How is it formed and mined?
Plants and aquatic organisms that live in swamps, lakes and reservoirs with low-flow water die and form biomass, which is partially processed by bacteria under conditions of high humidity and lack of oxygen. What is obtained is deposited in layers and pressed.
Types of peat and their characteristics
Peat is heterogeneous, it can be classified according to different criteria: degree of decomposition, nature of occurrence, extraction method, ash content.
According to the degree of humification
The degree of decomposition is determined by the time spent on peat formation; according to this indicator, weakly decomposed (up to 20% of structureless mass consisting of organic matter and humus), moderately (20-35%) and highly decomposed (more than 35%) material are distinguished. The composition contains remains of wood, roots, bark of shrubs and trees, fallen pine needles, herbaceous plants, sphagnum and hypnum mosses.
By nature of occurrence
They are divided into lowland, transitional and upland. Lowland is formed by the decomposition of vegetation that grows along river beds and ravines. The degree of decomposition reaches 40%, moist, rich in ash, contains 1% phosphorus, 3% nitrogen, sulfur and potassium (less than 2%), up to 60% carbon. Transitional is the same lowland peat that has not yet completed its formation. The degree of decomposition is 25-35%.
Horse is formed during the decomposition of vegetation characteristic of the area; it contains little calcium, ash elements and humus. Contains 60-70% moisture, the degree of decomposition is more than 20%.
By extraction method
There are two main methods: milling and hydraulic. In the first case, the surface layer of the deposits is removed with special machines, collected, packed or pressed into bricks. With the hydraulic method, the raw materials are filled with water, the liquid mass is pumped out and dried.
According to ash content
Ash content is the ratio of the mass that remains after calcination of peat to the total dry mass. The source of mineral elements is plants, dust, surface and ground moisture. The ash content determines the direction of application of the material and for what purposes it can be used. Peat is divided into low-ash (less than 5%), medium-ash (5-10%) and high-ash (less than 50%).
Areas of application
Lowland is used in agriculture as a fertilizer, and highland is used as a mulching material. It loosens the soil, makes it airier, softer and lighter, supplies nutrients to plants, acidic can be used to increase the acidity of alkaline soil. It is used as a component of the substrate for flowers, seedlings and rooting of cuttings, for making compost.
Briquettes for heating and coke for metallurgical plants are made from peat raw materials. The pharmaceutical industry obtains alcohol, acids, wax, medicinal preparations, and activated carbon from it.
Peat is considered one of the main minerals.It is mined in many countries and used as a raw material for the production of products for use in various fields of activity.
