wise use of mires and peatlands - Peatland Ecology Research Group
wise use of mires and peatlands - Peatland Ecology Research Group
wise use of mires and peatlands - Peatland Ecology Research Group
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VALUES AND FUCTIONS OF MIRES AND PEATLANDS55phased out <strong>and</strong> will be replaced by threefluidised-bed-based plants with a combinedcapacity <strong>of</strong> 370 MW e. In Sweden peat is <strong>use</strong>din 35 heating plants, the largest <strong>of</strong> which islocated in Uppsala. Small-scale space heatingapplications <strong>and</strong> the manufacture <strong>of</strong> peatbriquettes for <strong>use</strong> in domestic heating aretypical in Irel<strong>and</strong>, the Baltic countries <strong>and</strong>Belarus, among others.CountryEnergy Peat Use(Mtoe a -1 )Finl<strong>and</strong> 1.90Irel<strong>and</strong> 1.20Sweden 0.30Belarus 0.55Russian Federation 50 0.55Ukraine 0.12Estonia 0.35Latvia 0.11Lithuania 0.03Table 3/8 Consumption <strong>of</strong> peat for energy(in million tonnes <strong>of</strong> oil equivalent peryear) 49Peat as a source <strong>of</strong> energy is most beneficialin areas where there is an absence <strong>of</strong> otherfuels, <strong>and</strong> where energy supply entailstransportation <strong>of</strong> conventional fuels over longdistances. As an energy source peat closelyresembles wood, <strong>and</strong> the two are <strong>of</strong>ten <strong>use</strong>dtogether in co-fired applications. Both thecalorific value <strong>and</strong> the carbon content <strong>of</strong> peatare lower than those found in brown coal(lignite) or in bituminous coal, but theproportion <strong>of</strong> volatiles in peat is higher. Thesulphur content varies with location, but istypically less than 0.3% on a dry mass basis.In the past, grate firing (sod peat) <strong>and</strong>pulverised firing (milled peat) have been thedominant technologies; but from the 1980sonwards larger scale applications have beenbased on fluidised-bed combustion whichhas resulted in higher efficiencies, loweremissions <strong>and</strong> multi-fuel capabilities.Overall, energy generation is the mostimportant current <strong>use</strong> <strong>of</strong> peat. Looking to thefuture, peat is expected to remain an importantsource <strong>of</strong> energy in rural <strong>and</strong> isolated regions<strong>of</strong> countries with abundant peat reserves. Ona global scale, it is not anticipated that the<strong>use</strong> <strong>of</strong> peat for energy will increase greatly,although there is scope to substitute peat forcertain imported fuels in some <strong>of</strong> the BalticStates. Given its high volatile content peat issuitable for gasification, <strong>and</strong> the maturation<strong>of</strong> integrated gasification combined cycle(IGCC) technology may lead to even moreefficient peat <strong>use</strong> for energy in the future.(ad) Peat as a raw material forchemistry 51Peat organic matter is a valuable raw materialfor chemistry. Chemical peat-processing iscarried out by hydrolysis, pyrolysis,extraction <strong>and</strong> chemical modification. Thechemical processing <strong>of</strong> peat to obtain aspecific type <strong>of</strong> organic compound alsoproduces new substances as a side effect.Peat wax extraction is one <strong>of</strong> the indispensablestages in extraction techniques. The widespectrum <strong>of</strong> valuable properties <strong>of</strong> wet peatwax has made it possible to find differentapplications (such as moulds for precisioncasting in machine-building, protective <strong>and</strong>preservative materials for engineering).Peat dye imparts a uniform nut-brown colourto wood, enhances its texture <strong>and</strong>, comparedto other dyes, raises considerably less nap 52 ,does not diff<strong>use</strong> into finishing materials, isnot toxic <strong>and</strong> is characterised by high lightdurability. It is easy to mix with syntheticdyes <strong>and</strong> thus to obtain a range <strong>of</strong> differenthues.Specific examples <strong>of</strong> the <strong>use</strong> <strong>of</strong> peat inchemical processing include:
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