University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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nature after use: when the solid fuel has been used, the remains of the solid fuel
(ashes, etc.) can be returned to the ground, giving the soil nutrients. Field biomasses
have good potential to reach sustainable development in all the four dimensions of
sustainability – although it has become well known that these types of biofuels affect
the farming for food supplies to people and animals.
Turf
Peat fuel is produced from turf soil, which consists of at least 75 per cent of organic
material. Turf develops gradually over centuries through humification from
decomposing plant material in swamps. The best-known fuel of this type is peat
diesel. Peat is mainly used for heat production. Table 4 integrates the interviewees’
opinions concerning the environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability
of turf at its different stages of life cycle.
Table 4. Environmental, social cultural and economic impacts of turf.
Environmental
impacts of turf fuel
+ Mostly produced
by nature itself.
- Major contributor
of CO2 emissions:
methane.
- Requires heavy
machi-nery and
infrastructure.
- Changes the
landscape.
- Phosphor loading.
- Limited number
of swamps.
- Loss of
biodiversity.
Social
impacts of turf
fuel
+ Employment
opportunities.
- Negative
beliefs.
- Loss of pure
nature,
swimming areas,
recreational
areas.
- Fear of changes
in the landscape.
Cultural
impacts of turf
fuel
+ Easy to accept
as a ”natural”
method of
creating energy.
- As a concept
relatively unknown
in several
countries.
Economic
impacts of turf
fuel
+ Locally very
productive and
effective.
+ Boosts local
economy.
- Requires high
investment from
the community
and municipality.
- Economic
sustainability?
From the environmental sustainability perspective, turf is produced ecologically
since it is mostly produced by nature itself in a natural process taking centuries. Use
of turf has long traditions in Finland. However, the production of turf into peat fuel is
not as environmentally friendly as often thought in Finland. The European Union
(EU) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) classify peat as a
fossil fuel while conservative Finnish politicians classify it as a slowly renewing
biomass fuel. The reason is economic: peat accounts for about 6–7 per cent of annual
energy production of Finland. Since nearly 30 per cent of the land area of Finland is
turf swamp, peat fuel development potential would enormous. Globally swamps are
rarer and need protection for the rich variety of rare plants and animals they support.