Wood
References:
2006. Alternative Fuels Reading Level 6. Irvine, California: Saddleback
Educational Publishing
Peat
Peat forms in bogs. Bogs are a type of wetland with a high acid content. Like all
wetlands, bogs are inhabited by marshy plants, including trees, grasses, and moss. The
bog's acidity prevents this vegetation from fully decaying. This partly-decayed organic
material builds up in bogs. Over millions of years, it becomes peat.
Peat is thick, muddy, and, when harvested, looks like dark, earthen bricks.
Traditional peat harvesting involves a farmer or laborer manually cutting thick strips of
peat with a large, sharp hoe. Areas of harvested peatlands are called cutaway bogs for
this reason. Today, industrial peat harvesting involves huge tractors that scrape peat
from the surface of bogs. This scraped peat is then collected into bricks. This is
called milled peat. Wet bricks of raw peat are pressed to force out water. The bricks are
then dried further, using heat or pressure. The bricks are then used as fuel, mostly for
heating homes and businesses.
Peat material is either fibric, hemic, or sapric. Fibric peats are the least
decomposed, and comprise intact fiber. Hemic peats are somewhat decomposed, and
sapric are the most decomposed. Phragmites peat is one composed of reed
grass, Phragmites australis, and other grasses. It is denser than many other types of
peat. Engineers may describe a soil as peat which has a relatively high percentage of
organic material. This soil is problematic because it exhibits poor consolidation
properties.
Among the common uses of peat is in filtration. Peat is used in water filtration,
such as for the treatment of septic tank effluent, as well as for urban runoff. Due to its
purifying properties, peat also serves as a filter for septic tanks and may be used as a
water purifier. Peat is also reported to have a number of other beneficial functions in
freshwater aquaria. It softens water by acting as an ion exchanger; it also contains
substances that are beneficial for plants, and for the reproductive health of fishes. It can
even prevent algae growth and kill microorganisms.
References:
Peat: The Forgotten Fossil Fuel. Accessed on November 26, 2016. Accessed at:
http://nationalgeographic.org/media/peat-forgotten-fuel/