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What is peat: extraction, application, processing. Development of peat deposits

Today, Russia occupies one of the leading places in the field of mining. The first place, of course, is occupied by oil and natural gas. In Russia, there are such main types of mineral extraction as:

Natural gas production
Oil production
Coal mining
Uranium mining
Shale mining
Peat extraction

As you know, mining is a rather difficult process in which it is necessary to get gaseous, solid or liquid minerals from underground. It is this production that covers the first economic spectrum. The main tasks of the mining itself are: to find a deposit of any mineral, after which it is taken out of the bowels of the Earth and then delivered to the place of processing.

However, I would like to pay considerable attention to the peat industry, which is currently in short supply.

Group chemical composition of the organic part of various types of peat

The peat industry is a category of industry that provides the country with fuel as well as fertilizer. Today, peat is used in agriculture, chemical plants, power plants.

So what is peat? Peat has a characteristic brown color. It is formed over time from the almost decomposed remains of plants, mainly mosses. Peat deposits are swamps and ponds, which are almost overgrown. In Russia, areas with peat are located in forests. In fact, peat consists of 60% carbon, which makes it the most important biomaterial. it has a fairly high calorific value. Peat is also used to make various thermal insulation materials, such as slabs.

Recall that in 2010 in Russia there was a terrible fire associated with the ignition of peat areas, as a result of which forests were damaged. After the incident, it became obvious that the peat industry would take a long time to recover.

Now around the world receive approximately 25 million tons of peat. In 1985, peat extraction reached its peak, namely, 380 million tons were obtained in a year. However, since the 1990s, the level of mineral extraction has dropped significantly to 29 million tons.

The peat industry began to emerge as early as the 12th-13th centuries. Scotland and Holland were the first countries to extract and use it. And since the XVI century. peat mining began to develop in Germany, France and Sweden. Russia lagged behind European countries a little, because for the first time the mineral began to be mined in 1700, when under the leadership of Peter I near Voronezh, for the first time, peat deposits were found. After 3 years, deposits were discovered near Azov. Much later, towards the end of the XVIII century. Peat extraction began near St. Petersburg and in the Smolensk region. Almost until the 20th century. oil production was carried out in a primitive way, i.e. using the simplest equipment: molding frames, peat grinders and various scooping devices. Basically, molded and carved peat was mined. To the place of processing, peat was taken away on horseback, as well as by water, through canals and rivers. During the time of the landlords, various committees and schools were created in the provinces, where they studied the methods of extraction and processing of peat. Late XIX V. marked the transition to the extraction of minerals by the factory method, thanks to which minerals were mined with already improved equipment.

Oddly enough, since the beginning of the XX century. Russia began to outpace European countries in technologies for peat extraction, as well as in quantity. Approximately 40 peat extractions were formed in the Moscow region. It was in Russia in 1913 that the world's first power plant was built, which processed peat into fuel. Engineers V. Kirpichnikov and R. Klasson developed a hydraulic peat extraction scheme. In 1914, thanks to this method, Russia managed to build industrial enterprises for the processing of peat. Already in the 1920s, excavators began to be put into operation, which greatly simplified the extraction of all minerals. Peat began to be supplied from the Urals to heavy industry enterprises, which used peat gas as a process fuel. In the late 1920s, entire scientific centers and institutes of the peat industry. In 1988, peat extraction exceeded the figures for all previous years. In comparison with 1914, it has increased by 93 times.

Today, enterprises specializing in peat processing are combined into whole complexes. For example, in the Smolensk region there is an enterprise "Smolenkstorf", it extracts about 100,000 tons of milled peat, processing it into energy raw materials, about 280,000 tons are mined for agricultural purposes, etc.

Details about the methods and types of peat extraction

As mentioned earlier, most of the peat deposits are on the surface. Peat is extracted only according to two main schemes:

from the surface of the earth (cutting the topsoil)
from quarries (using excavators)

There are only 5 types of peat:

milling (cutting)
hydraulic scraper
hydropeat
lump
baguette

milled peat- one of the most common types. It is mined at a depth of only 2 cm thanks to a tractor that loosens the soil, crushes the peat and turns it into fine crumbs. Then the peat dries in the sun, gathers into rolls, and then another layer is loosened. After each such process, peat is mined in the same place 5-6 more times. The collected peat is delivered to a special site and there it is collected into separate heaps. A suitable season for the extraction of such peat is summer period when natural drying of the mineral is possible. The milling method is also used to obtain sod peat.

Sod peat obtained by excavation. Each such piece of peat weighs at least 500 g. This method of extraction practically does not differ from previous method, but the only difference is that it needs weather conditions. Sod peat can be mined at any time of the year. Such peat is mined from a depth of 50 cm using a special disk with a cylinder in which peat is pressed.

Hydropeat obtained by hydraulic method, which was first proposed in 1914, as mentioned earlier.

carved peat mined from peat bricks by hand, sometimes by machine-forming.

As for the transportation of peat from the extraction sites, it is carried out after the final drying of the peat and is exported by narrow-gauge railway. For agricultural purposes, peat is transported by road.

Peat in agriculture

Peat is useful to mankind not only as a fuel, but also on an agricultural scale. Peat is an excellent fertilizer, while peat that has decomposed by 40% is good for this area. It is extracted from swamps and overgrown reservoirs. Peat, which is only 25% decomposed, is excellent for animal bedding. Before use, peat is usually well ventilated, but not dried to the limit. Sometimes it is specially frozen, so that later it is more easily crushed and distributed over the areas that should be fertilized. Because peat contains too little phosphorus and potassium, it is necessary to add manure, superphosphate and a little potassium chloride to it.

Peat favors soil fertility, improves its structure. Due to the fact that peat contains practically no micro and macro elements, it is rich in useful acids that stimulate growth and development. It is good for any kind of soil because it has a gas-absorbing advantage. Actually. Peat can be divided into two types: Light and heavy. Light has a degree of decomposition of 15%, and heavy as much as 40% and above. In agriculture, peat contributes well to ensuring long-term moisture retention, as well as oxygen exchange.

Peat industry today

Peat resources cover about 400 million hectares, but only about 300 million hectares have been put into operation. Only 23 countries of the world are engaged in peat extraction. The leading ones are Russia, where about 150 million hectares are concentrated, and Canada, where peatlands make up 110 million hectares. Peat is a renewable resource and much more is produced than is consumed. The world's peat stock is concentrated in Russia, because 60% of the resources are contained there. But in terms of production, Russia is in fourth place, ahead of Canada, Finland and Ireland.

Only 30% of the world's peat is used for fuel, the remaining 70% is used for horticulture and Agriculture. The upper peat layer has suitable properties for livestock, floriculture, crop and vegetable growing in greenhouse conditions. Peat plays an important role in the world market, especially vegetable peat, which is the most exported.

The largest peat deposit is concentrated in the Tver region - 21%. Thanks to this, the Tver region is fully provided with energy and soil fertility. OJSC "Tvertorf" produces the largest amount of peat products throughout Russia. In the 90s, the extraction of the mineral dropped significantly. Due to the crisis, the equipment has ceased to be updated, the capacity of enterprises specialized in peat has also decreased. Today, production rates are trying to resume, but the process requires significant funding and more labor.

The main problem associated with the peat industry is the development of regulatory and legislative framework. There are some contradictions in the legal status of peat deposits, which lacks clarity in the application of loans provided by the tax service. There are also noticeable shortcomings in the calculation of payments and taxes on land. Therefore, today the peat industry is undergoing serious stagnation.

The Russian government has set a goal by 2030 to increase the level of peat extraction and processing to improve domestic, allied and agricultural conditions. The first necessary criterion is to improve the industrial base, i.e. to develop new equipment, only then can peat be effectively used at power plants specializing in heat supply. In the future, due to useful properties, peat can be used in medicine. The peat extract is enriched with minerals, so its properties are excellent for the human body, it has a particularly healing effect on the skin and subcutaneous tissues. By 2030, it will be planned to restore the peat base, build boiler houses and thermal power plants in remote regions, the main resource of which will be peat.

The Soviet Union has the largest peat reserves in the world. More than 60% of the world's peat resources are concentrated on the territory of the USSR. The peat industry of our country has turned into a complex mechanized industry and provides peat extraction for energy, agriculture, domestic and other needs.

Peat deposits are an important natural potential of our country. They are distributed over a large area - from the Kola Peninsula in the north to Transcaucasia in the south, from the regions of the Baltic and Belarus in the west to Kamchatka and Sakhalin in the east.

To date, more than 60 thousand peat deposits have been explored with a total area of about 50 million hectares (within the boundaries of an industrial deposit), with peat reserves of 162 billion tons.

Peat deposits within the territory of the USSR lie mainly on deposits of the Quaternary period, much less often on deposits of the Neogene and Paleogene, and in some cases, for example in Karelia, often directly on the crystalline rocks of the Baltic Shield. The largest accumulations of peat reserves are concentrated on the territory of vast alluvial plains.

Peat deposits, representing a significant value for complex use in the biochemical, energy and agrochemical areas, at the same time are an important reserve of potentially fertile lands.

The diversity of peat deposits by types of deposits, types of peat, their genesis and raw material properties necessitates comprehensive knowledge of the origin and natural features peat.

By the decisions of our party and government, tasks have been set for the further most progressive and comprehensive use of peat resources. The water-protective and water-regulating role of peat deposits is emphasized.

Thus, peat resources are becoming increasingly important for various industries. National economy. In this regard, it is necessary to improve and deepen the study of peat deposits, identifying not only the total reserves of peat, but also subjecting to a thorough analysis of the stratigraphic features of the peat deposit, the nature of peat-forming agents, types of peat, the content of micro-inclusions, the presence of humic and other acids, their molecular structure, properties and characteristics. etc.

Unlike other geological formations, a peat deposit has its own peculiarity, which determines, on the one hand, the need to study it as a geological body (peat deposit), which can be used for various purposes (production of fuel, fertilizers, chemical products), on the other hand, as a site surface - soil capable of being developed as fertile land for agricultural reclamation and forest reclamation.

The expansion of the scale of industrial peat production, the ever-increasing use of peat in agriculture and the comprehensive development of new peat-rich regions of the country require the fastest in-depth exploration of peat deposits.

There was a need to improve the methods and increase the scientific and technical level of exploration and mapping of peat deposits, the wider use of aerial photography materials, mechanization tools and the most rational schemes for performing field work in the exploration of peat deposits and entire peat regions.

The deeper and more comprehensively the peat resources are studied, the more successfully the tasks of the broad involvement of peat for the needs of the national economy will be carried out.

The enormous wealth of peat was hardly used before the revolution. IN tsarist Russia peat in small quantities was consumed only for fuel, and the only ways to develop peat massifs were elevator and carved.

After the Great October Socialist Revolution, the task of restoring and then expanding industry and the national economy as a whole required the creation of a powerful energy base. Compared with 1913, the production of air-dry fuel peat in the USSR has increased by more than 40 times.

The importance of peat as a local fuel during the Great Patriotic War when large coal and oil basins were temporarily occupied or cut off from the most important vital centers of our Motherland.

Compared to pre-revolutionary times, there has been a huge shift in the field of mechanization of peat extraction: from the heavy manual elevator method, they switched completely to the mechanized - milling method.

The milling chips obtained by this method of extraction are used not only for direct combustion and briquetting, but also in agriculture for the preparation of fertilizers and for chemical processing.

Another type of use of peat is the manufacture of high quality shaped insulation from peat with a low degree of decomposition, greenhouse soils and other products.

From low-decomposed, moisture-intensive high-moor peat, livestock litter is made, which, after its use, is an excellent fertilizer. Highly mineralized lowland peat is used as fertilizer.

In medical practice, peat is used for non-resort mud treatment of many diseases.

Scientific research thought continues hard work in studying the possibilities of comprehensive use of peat and further mechanization of its extraction. Peat deposits are studied along with other landscape units in order to establish their causality by natural factors. The main difference of the peat deposit is the overmoistened layer of peat, which underlies the vegetation cover, consisting of interconnected phytocenoses of moisture-loving vegetation.

At present, there is an important task of a deep and comprehensive study of the causes and conditions for the formation of peat. In the field of knowledge of the genesis of the process of peat formation, much has been done in recent decades and mainly by Soviet chemists and biologists in collaboration with marsh scientists. Basically, its essence boils down to the fact that organic plant and animal residues entering the soil, under conditions of excessive moisture and difficult air access, do not undergo complete decay and mineralization, but turn into a kind of complex as a result of biochemical and physico-chemical processes. organic compounds relatively resistant to further decomposition and mineralization.

Peat- an organic rock containing no more than 50% of mineral substances (of absolutely dry matter of peat), formed as a result of the death and incomplete decay of marsh plants in conditions of high humidity with a lack of oxygen. By appearance peat in its natural state is a mass of black or Brown various shades. Its natural humidity is 86-95%.

The dry matter of peat mainly consists of: 1) incompletely decomposed plant residues; 2) decomposition products of plant tissues in the form of a dark amorphous substance (humus) that has lost its cellular structure; 3) mineral substances remaining after the combustion of peat in the form of ash.

Vegetation cover on different peat bogs and even on individual sections of the same peat bog is often different, the conditions for its growth and decay (transition into peat) are different.

Type of peat- primary taxonomic unit of peat classification. It reflects the initial grouping of vegetation and the conditions of its formation, is characterized by a more or less definite botanical composition, ash content, humus content and other properties.

peat deposit- natural vertical bedding of peat certain types from the surface to the mineral bottom of a peat deposit or underlying lacustrine deposits. Peat deposits postglacial time (Holocene) - the youngest geological deposits earth's crust; their maximum age is 10-12 thousand years.

Peat deposits differ from other organic deposits of the earth's crust in that the process of peat formation is observed at the present time. By studying this process, it is possible to restore the history of vegetation for individual peat-bog areas in connection with the change climatic conditions in the Holocene. Since peat requires certain conditions for its formation, the distribution of peat deposits on the earth's surface is uneven. In particular, the southern part of the USSR has a relatively small percentage of peat. For the middle and northern parts of the Soviet Union, the percentage of peat is much higher.

The main condition for the peat formation process is excess moisture. The waters feeding the peat deposits differ in the degree of mineralization; atmospheric waters are poor in mineral salts, ground and river waters are rich in them.

Depending on the nature of the feeding waters, the vegetation of a peat deposit is different: on peat bogs of predominantly atmospheric nutrition, plants of an oligotrophic (upper) type grow that do not require rich mineral nutrition, for example, pine, cotton grass, sphagnum mosses. On peat bogs of soil and river nutrition - plants of the eutrophic (lowland) type, which need more mineral salts for their growth, for example, birch, alder, sedges, green mosses.

Peats deposited mainly by high-moor vegetation are called high-moor, lowland vegetation - lowland. The same names, upland and lowland, are assigned to the two main types of peat deposits, depending on the predominance of peat of one type or another in them.

Swamp called an excessively moistened area of the earth's surface, covered with a layer of peat at least 30 cm deep in a non-drained form.

Excessively moistened areas of the earth's surface, covered with a layer of peat less than 30 cm thick in a non-drained state or completely devoid of it, are called wetlands.

swampiness- percentage of the total area of all swamps and wetlands to the area of the territory; peatiness- percentage ratio of the swamp area within the boundaries of the industrial deposit to the total area of the territory.

The definition of a swamp and wetlands is based on a production feature and the border between them is very conditional. The definition of a swamp as a natural unit remains debatable in swamp science, and the boundary between a swamp and a peat bog, a swamp and swampy meadows or forests has not yet been established. As a natural formation, the swamp is characterized by abundant and prolonged moistening of the soil layer with stagnant water, vegetation cover from marsh vegetation and peat accumulation.

Peat deposit- this is a geological formation, consisting of layers of peat species and characterized in its natural boundaries by excessive moisture and specific vegetation cover.

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For nurseries, greenhouses, horticultural and other agricultural enterprises, the Torfyanaya Polyana company produces substrates and nutrient soils. A wide range of products allows you to choose the right mixture for a certain type of crops. Produced soils differ in the type of peat, the content of nutrients, mineral additives, acidity and other indicators. It is also planned to produce fertilizer from peat and expand the product line for lawns, exotic, flower and other types of plants.

The presence of experienced technologists and agronomists in the company's staff allows us to produce mixtures on an individual order.

The effectiveness of the obtained soils is tested in special test greenhouses. At the same time, the product is analyzed and an expert opinion is issued.

The substrates are packed in polyethylene bags, convenient for transportation and use, with a volume of 5 liters or more. It is also planned to supply products in big boilies with a volume of several thousand liters.

In addition to substrates, Torfyanaya Polyana is engaged in the production of peat briquettes. In fact, peat briquettes are milled peat pressed into pieces of the correct geometric shape. The technology not only simplifies the transportation of the product, but has a positive effect on the heat transfer of the combustible fuel, which is close to that of coal. The production of briquettes is divided into 3 stages.

Preparation and direct drying to a moisture content of 12-17%.

Pressing the dried product.

Cooling, storage and packaging of briquettes.

The entire production cycle is fully automated, which eliminates the influence of the human factor on the process. The high quality of the goods is achieved through constant monitoring. At each production stage, whether it is peat extraction, briquetting or the production of peat soils, an analysis is carried out and the corresponding adjustment of products is carried out.

Peat– natural organic material, a combustible mineral; formed by the remnant of a cluster of plants that have undergone incomplete decomposition in swamp conditions. Contains 50 - 60% carbon. Calorific value (maximum) 24 MJ/kg. It is used comprehensively as fuel, fertilizer, heat-insulating material, etc. Peat reserves in Russia amount to over 186 billion tons.

The problems of intensifying and increasing the efficiency of production in the extractive industries are being solved, which have a special form of manifestation here, associated with the presence of such important factor production, like land, with its mineral reserves.

This also applies to such a mineral as peat, which, in addition to its traditional use as an energy and domestic fuel, the basis for organic-mineral fertilizers, etc.

The importance of the peat industry in Russia is due to the view that peat is one of the types of local fuel. In addition to fuel purposes, there is increasing attention to peat as a component of organic fertilizers. Peat can be used as bedding for livestock, greenhouse soils, a good antiseptic for storing fruits and vegetables, for the manufacture of heat and sound insulating boards, as a raw material for the production of physiologically active substances; known high quality peat as a filter material.

For the first time in Russia, the extraction of peat for fuel purposes was started in St. Petersburg in 1789, and in 1893 it was already widely developed in the Smolensk province. The period of the most active use of peat as a fuel on an industrial scale is considered to be the pre-war period. By 1940, all power plants in the Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kirov, and Kalinin regions were running on peat fuel.

Peat resources

In addition, peat fuel has reached 20-40% in the fuel balances of energy systems of Mosenergo and Lenenergo.

Due to progress in the exploration and development of natural gas and oil, the share of peat in the country's fuel balance is decreasing (Fig.). However, this does not mean a decrease in the absolute size of the extraction of peat as a fuel.

Our country has large reserves of peat, which make up more than 60% of the world's resources. Studies show that in a number of regions peat as a fuel successfully competes not only with brown, but also with coal.

The development of the peat industry is carried out in two main directions:

extraction and use of peat for fuel and energy purposes and in agriculture;
production of new types of peat products through energy-technological, chemical and biochemical processing of peat.

It should be noted that as peat resources are developed in a number of regions of the European part of Russia, peat deposits in the North-West and in Western Siberia- in economic regions characterized by predominantly worse natural and climatic conditions for peat extraction. This should be considered as a factor in the extensive development of the industry, which, nevertheless, should be accompanied by the intensification of the peat extraction process.

The unsurpassed benefits of peat and peat products are:

cleanliness and sterility, completely absent pathogenic microflora, pathogens, man-made pollution and weed seeds;
moisture capacity and air capacity (friability and flowability of the material) with a high ion-exchange ability allows you to adsorb and maintain the optimal moisture-air ratio, gradually give the plants elements of mineral nutrition);
the content in the composition of natural natural humic acids, which have a stimulating effect on the development of plants and beneficial microflora.

Peat deposits: Arkhangelsk, Vladimir, Leningrad, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Tver regions. In total, there are 7 large peat bases in Russia with operational reserves of 45 billion tons.

Today, Russia occupies one of the leading places in the field of mining. The first place, of course, is occupied by oil and natural gas. In Russia, there are such main types of mineral extraction as:

Natural gas production
Oil production
Coal mining
Uranium mining
Shale mining
Peat extraction

However, I would like to pay considerable attention to the peat industry, which is currently in short supply.

Group chemical composition of the organic part of various types of peat

Peat industry

The peat industry is a category of industry that provides the country with fuel as well as fertilizer. Today, peat is used in agriculture, chemical plants, power plants.

So what is peat? Peat has a characteristic brown color. It is formed over time from the almost decomposed remains of plants, mainly mosses.

Peat deposits

Peat deposits are swamps and ponds, which are almost overgrown. In Russia, areas with peat are located in forests. In fact, peat consists of 60% carbon, which makes it the most important biomaterial. it has a fairly high calorific value. Peat is also used to make various thermal insulation materials, such as slabs.

Development of the peat industry in Russia

The peat industry began to emerge as early as the 12th-13th centuries.

Scotland and Holland were the first countries to extract and use it. And since the XVI century. peat mining began to develop in Germany, France and Sweden. Russia lagged behind European countries a little, because for the first time the mineral began to be mined in 1700, when under the leadership of Peter I near Voronezh, for the first time, peat deposits were found. After 3 years, deposits were discovered near Azov. Much later, towards the end of the XVIII century. Peat extraction began near St. Petersburg and in the Smolensk region. Almost until the 20th century. oil production was carried out in a primitive way, i.e. using the simplest equipment: molding frames, peat grinders and various scooping devices. Basically, molded and carved peat was mined. To the place of processing, peat was taken away on horseback, as well as by water, through canals and rivers. During the time of the landlords, various committees and schools were created in the provinces, where they studied the methods of extraction and processing of peat. End of the 19th century marked the transition to the extraction of minerals by the factory method, thanks to which minerals were mined with already improved equipment.

Oddly enough, since the beginning of the XX century. Russia began to outstrip European countries in peat extraction technologies, as well as in quantity. Approximately 40 peat extractions were formed in the Moscow region. It was in Russia in 1913 that the world's first power plant was built, which processed peat into fuel. Engineers V. Kirpichnikov and R. Klasson developed a hydraulic peat extraction scheme. In 1914, thanks to this method, Russia managed to build industrial enterprises for the processing of peat. Already in the 1920s, excavators began to be put into operation, which greatly simplified the extraction of all minerals. Peat began to be supplied from the Urals to heavy industry enterprises, which used peat gas as a process fuel. In the late 1920s, entire scientific centers and institutes of the peat industry were created. In 1988, peat extraction exceeded the figures for all previous years. In comparison with 1914, it has increased by 93 times.

Details about the methods and types of peat extraction

As mentioned earlier, most of the peat deposits are on the surface. Peat is extracted only according to two main schemes:

from the surface of the earth (cutting the topsoil)
from quarries (using excavators)

There are only 5 types of peat:

milling (cutting)
hydraulic scraper
hydropeat
lump
baguette

milled peat- one of the most common types. It is mined at a depth of only 2 cm thanks to a tractor that loosens the soil, crushes the peat and turns it into fine crumbs. Then the peat dries in the sun, gathers into rolls, and then another layer is loosened. After each such process, peat is mined in the same place 5-6 more times. The collected peat is delivered to a special site and there it is collected into separate heaps. A suitable season for the extraction of such peat is the summer period, when natural drying of the mineral is possible. The milling method is also used to obtain sod peat.

Sod peat obtained by excavation. Each such piece of peat weighs at least 500 g. This method of extraction is practically the same as the previous method, but the only difference is that it needs weather conditions. Sod peat can be mined at any time of the year. Such peat is mined from a depth of 50 cm using a special disk with a cylinder in which peat is pressed.

Hydropeat obtained by hydraulic method, which was first proposed in 1914, as mentioned earlier.

carved peat mined from peat bricks by hand, sometimes by machine-forming.

Peat in agriculture

Peat industry today

Only 30% of the world's peat is used for fuel, the remaining 70% is used for horticulture and agriculture. The upper peat layer has suitable properties for livestock, floriculture, crop and vegetable growing in greenhouse conditions. Peat plays an important role in the world market, especially vegetable peat, which is the most exported.

The main problem associated with the peat industry is the development of a legal and regulatory framework. There are some contradictions in the legal status of peat deposits, which lacks clarity in the application of loans provided by the tax service. There are also noticeable shortcomings in the calculation of payments and taxes on land. Therefore, today the peat industry is undergoing serious stagnation.

The Russian government has set a goal by 2030 to increase the level of peat extraction and processing to improve domestic, allied and agricultural conditions. The first necessary criterion is to improve the industrial base, i.e. to develop new equipment, only then can peat be effectively used at power plants specializing in heat supply. In the future, due to its beneficial properties, peat will be used in medicine. The peat extract is enriched with minerals, so its properties are excellent for the human body, it has a particularly healing effect on the skin and subcutaneous tissues. By 2030, it will be planned to restore the peat base, build boiler houses and thermal power plants in remote regions, the main resource of which will be peat.

Many people do not quite understand what peat is and what it is for. And someone thinks that this is the same land. But everything is not so simple.

This substance represents something more valuable. This article will discuss the formation of peat, its application and properties.

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What is peat and what does it look like

Peat is a mineral. It belongs to sedimentary rocks and is solid in state. In ancient times it was called flammable earth.

The first mentions date back to the first century AD. In those days, people used the breed for cooking.

The place where the peat is located is called a peat bog. The composition of the breed depends on the species. The main ingredient in the formula is carbon.

Outwardly, the fossil is similar to the earth. It has a crumbly loose structure of brown color.

What is peat made from?

The rock is formed from decayed parts of plants, both woody and herbaceous, fungi, mosses.

What kind of plants can these be?

reeds;
sedge;
cinquefoil;
horsetails;
down jackets;
cattail.

An important role in the origin is played by woody and semi-shrub plants:

birch;
alder;
wild rosemary;
heather.

The softness and color of the rock determines the humus.

Peat types and their characteristics

The difference between types is determined by the depth of the location.

Their characteristic:

Horse. This composition is weakly decomposed. It contains many remains of upland vegetation;
Lowland. Consists of a large amount of organic matter, therefore it is very useful for the soil;
Transition. This view is located between the previous two.

Where is peat mined

The substance is found in swampy areas. Wetlands are ideal places for rock formation. When they dry out, masses of decayed plant residues remain in their place.

This is peat. Due to its formation in swampy areas, some people think that there is a liquid rock, but this is not so.

Currently, there are a lot of places on the planet with large reserves of peat. Even countries in which the extraction of the substance is on high level, may not worry about its presence for a long time. These countries include:

Russia;
Belarus;
Canada;
Ireland.

These are just a few examples of states. In fact, there are many more places where peat is mined.

Peat deposits in Russia

Almost 50 thousand deposits are located throughout Russia. A large number is located in the Asian part of the country. The largest place of peat formation is Vasyugan.

These are several of the largest swamps, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich is approximately 55 thousand square meters. km. They cover the Tomsk, Omsk and Novosibirsk regions.

Peat extraction methods

There are several ways to mine the rock. The most popular of them is milling. It is the production of peat by grinding.

Process description:

Digging special channels for water drainage.
Equipment leaves for the dry place.
Peat layers are crushed into powder by devices called milling machines (this explains the name of the method).
The resulting powder is dried. Drying is carried out by mixing and agitating the powder.
Then the material is collected in separate piles and sent for processing.

After processing, the raw material may come out in pieces or granules.

Another way is excavator or lumpy. The method got its name because the rock is mined in pieces. The operation consists in capturing the rock with the excavator bucket, which is sent for processing in whole compressed pieces.

There is another way, which is called carved. But in the modern world, due to technological development, it is already outdated. The whole operation is carried out manually. That is, after drying the territory, the workers, as it were, cut the rock into pieces with shovels. Then it is sent for processing.

Areas of peat use

If in ancient times peat was used only for cooking when kindling a fire, then in the modern world it has been used in many areas.

Agriculture

The breed is of great benefit to the development of agriculture. It is an excellent fertilizer: it significantly improves the soil, makes it more porous and enriches it with nutrients. The latter is due to the fact that peat itself contains many useful acids. The chemical composition includes several macronutrients.

The breed is useful for plants. It contributes to their better development, preventing the accumulation of heavy metals in them, and reduces the content of nitrates in grown products.

Therefore, many summer residents purchase it for the garden. To do this, you don’t even have to go anywhere, and you won’t need to look for anything. Now peat can be bought at any store that sells gardening products. However, you should choose your product carefully. Poor quality product can harm plants.

The main criterion for selection is acidity. Manufacturers change it to increase the range of products. This change is called neutralization of acidity, and the resulting mixture is called neutralized peat.

animal husbandry

Here, peat is needed as bedding for animals, because it can absorb moisture and odors well. It also has bactericidal properties, which helps protect livestock from diseases.

Basically, sphagnum peat is used for this purpose.

Medicine

For the same reasons as in the previous case, the breed has found application in medicine.

Peat baths are very beneficial for health.

Energy industry

Peat is an excellent fuel. It is still used in some power plants. One of the advantages of the rock as a fuel is that it does not need oxygen supply for combustion.

Chemical industry

Many chemical products are made from matter. For example:

paraffin;
wax;
ammonia;
herbicides;
some acids;
methyl and ethyl alcohol.

It turns out that peat is not just a part of the earth. Many things that surround people are made from peat. We can say that humanity is lucky that there are still a lot of peat reserves.

Tolkacheva Elizaveta Sergeevna 9 "G" class

MOU "Secondary School No. 58"

Relevance of the topic

Many foreign countries have a developed economy, thanks to a powerful mineral base. Main Feature of these countries is the fact that they use all kinds of resources that are available on their territory. At the same time, they economically and rationally use fuel resources: coal, oil, gas; replacing them with the cheapest type of fuel - peat.

Peat extraction and processing play an important role in these countries. It is known that in the 90s Germany exported 1700 thousand tons of agricultural peat, the Baltic countries - 1150 thousand tons, Russia - only 40 thousand tons, having reserves of 200.7 billion tons of peat, which is 66% of the world stocks.

A significant amount of peat is imported by developed countries, where it is used not only as a fuel and for the needs of agriculture, but also for the production of wax, medicines, perfume industry products, technical paper, acids, alcohol and many other types of products.

The importance of peat in agriculture is enormous. The largest peat reserves in Russia are concentrated in Western Siberia. With a thorough study of peatlands in Western Siberia, it is easy to create a rich mineral base for the production of fertilizers precisely in those areas where the quality of peat is higher.

Geological studies show that, in addition to peat, Western Siberia is rich in sapropel, marsh marl, and peat vivianite, which form numerous deposits with large reserves. Such deposits can be put into operation in a short time without large capital investments by farms or agronomic associations.

Thanks to the work of geologists, geographers, and other researchers, today it is possible to easily revive the peat industry, which will allow exporting peat as a valuable organo-mineral raw material to those regions of the country where this type of resource is not enough.

Modern mineral fertilizers, which are used in Russia in agriculture, are of foreign origin and are very expensive. The export of peat and peat products to some extent would help to stabilize the economy not only of Western Siberia, but of the country as a whole, and would provide the consumer with a guarantee of a quick and good harvest.

In addition, the development of the peat industry both in our region (region) and in the country will solve a number of many acute problems:

1. The problem of fuel and economic.

The cost of sod peat is 2.5 times lower than coal, and its combustion does not cause pollution environment. Over the past century, Russia has saved 400 million tons of hard coal by burning peat. The share of peat in the country's fuel balance in 1928 was 41.4%. The creation of a fuel base based on peat today would also solve the issue of the country's energy supply, because after the revolution our country for a long time was in ruins and the GOELRO plan, based on the construction of power plants that burn peat, it was he who gave impetus to the development of the economy.

2. The problem of unemployment.

The development of the peat processing industry in the country (region) would give work not only to the people involved in it, but would also involve a number of machine-building enterprises that would provide this type of industry with the necessary machines and equipment; would involve a number of chemical enterprises that would carry out complex processing of peat, obtaining valuable chemical products from it.

Thus, analyzing peat as a valuable natural raw material, we can conclude that the revival of the peat industry leads to successful development and overall growth of the country's economy.

The object of study of this work are:

Peat resources of Russia;

Peat deposits in the south of the West Siberian Plain.

The subject are:

Geography of peat deposits;

Possibilities of using peat as a valuable natural raw material for branches of the economic sector.

The main objectives of the work:

Assessment of peat reserves in Russia, Western Siberia, Omsk region.

Development of additions to lessons on the topic " Natural resources Russia" at the rate of 8th and 9th grades.

Main goals:

Determine the value of this type of resource;

Describe physical and chemical properties peat;

To identify the features of the placement of peat deposits on the territory of Western Siberia;

Assess the peat reserves of the Omsk region;

Determine the problems and prospects for the development of the peat industry in the country, region, region.

Part 1. The concept of peat. Peat-forming plants

Peat, coal and brown coal, as well as other minerals, were known to man in the Stone Age.

For the first time, under the name "anthracos" (coal), fossil coals were described by Theophrastus (III - IV century BC).

The first book on peat (Treatise on Peat) by Martin Schock was published in Latin in 1658 in Germany. In the practice of using peat, the book was of great importance, but in matters of origin it contained a number of incorrect conclusions.

The vegetable origin of peat was irrefutably proved in 1729 by Degner, who used a microscope to study it. “Peat,” he wrote, “is in fact a cluster of countless, blooming, green and growing marsh plants in stagnant water.”

Peat is a combustible mineral formed in conditions of waterlogging and without air access as a result of the incomplete decay of marsh plants. Its chemical composition is very complex: 50-60% carbon, 30-40% oxygen, 3-5% hydrogen, 1-3% nitrogen and about 1% sulfur.

Peat is formed due to the mechanical destruction of plant residues and the chemical change in the organic and organo-mineral compounds that make up plants.

Peatation of plant residues occurs in the most superficial layers of deposits, where oxygen freely penetrates and where the vigorous work of microorganisms takes place. This upper layer and is called the peat-forming or peat-producing layer. It lies directly under the living turf of plants, and its thickness does not exceed 30-50 cm from the surface of the swamp. The deeper we penetrate into the deposit, the less air there, the fewer microorganisms and the weaker the processes of decomposition of plant residues proceed.

Thus, peat is formed on the surface of the swamp and later, when new layers of vegetation grow over it, it sinks, becomes denser, but remains at the same degree of decomposition.

The main process that occurs in plant residues is the decomposition of plant compounds: fiber and lignin. Cellulose decomposes quickly, turning into end products of decomposition: carbon dioxide and water. Lignin is richer in carbon than fiber. Decaying, these main parts of plants form carbon, and the stronger their decomposition, the more carbon in peat, i.e. peat, the most decomposed, is also distinguished by higher fuel qualities.

In addition to fiber and lignin, the composition of plants includes resins, waxes and fats. These substances are highly persistent and accumulate in deposits in significant quantities. The accumulation of these substances increases the value of peat.

In the process of peat removal of plant residues, part of the plant fiber is converted into water and carbon dioxide and is eliminated from the composition of peat. Mineral salts remain completely in peat.

Despite the fact that a very large number of various plants are found in the swamps, the number of peat formers is very small (appendix fig. 1, pp. 15, 16).

A significant part in the formation of peat is taken by: reed, reed, horsetail, sedge, cotton grass, scheuchzeria, black alder, fluffy birch, pine.

But mosses take an especially large part in the construction of the peat mass: sphagnums and hypnums.

General geographical distribution of peatlands in Western Siberia

Despite the incomplete data on the swamps and especially on the peatlands of Western Siberia, it has long been known that its peat content is twice that of the European part of Russia. (appendix fig.2, p.17)

On the territory of Western Siberia (Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen and Kemerovo regions), according to data for 1964, 11.5% of its total area is subject to peat. In the European part of Russia, peatlands account for 5.7% of its total area (Katz, Neishtadt, 1963). Western Siberia is a peat region, where more than 60% of the world's peat reserves are concentrated.

The distribution of peat deposits across the territory of Western Siberia is uneven (App. Table 1, p. 18). The first place is occupied by the Tyumen region, both in terms of the number of swamps and their total area, and in terms of peat reserves. In general, peat deposits of low-lying type prevail in the region (57.5%). They are developed mainly in the south of the region. On the territory of the Tyumen region, deposits of vivianite peat are known: Sogra I, Pavlovskoye, _ysovoye; a very large peat vivianite deposit - Borovoe. In a number of districts of the region, deposits and manifestations of phosphorus-containing peat were identified: Krutoe, Klyukvennoe deposits, Tobolskaya Sogra, Nikolaevskoye, Yazevochnoe, Rastes, Pereyma.

Upland and transitional peatlands predominate in the Tomsk region. To date, large peat deposits have been discovered here: over 80% of the area of the explored peat fund are deposits with an area of more than 10,000 hectares. High-moor peat deposits account for 61.9% of the total reserves, the rest of the reserves are associated with low-lying deposits. The Arkadyevsky peat vivianite deposit and the Pozdnyakovskoye vivianite peat deposit were discovered here. There is information about the presence of phosphorus in peat deposits in the Kargasok and Kalpashevsky districts of the Tomsk region.

Peat- natural organic material, fossil fuel; formed by the remnant of a cluster of plants that have undergone incomplete decomposition in swamp conditions. Contains 50 - 60% carbon. Calorific value (maximum) 24 MJ/kg. It is used comprehensively as fuel, fertilizer, heat-insulating material, etc. Peat reserves in Russia amount to over 186 billion tons.

The problems of intensifying and increasing the efficiency of production in the extractive industries are being solved, which have a special form of manifestation here, associated with the presence of such an important factor of production as land, with its mineral reserves.

This also applies to such a mineral as peat, which, in addition to its traditional use as an energy and domestic fuel, the basis for organic-mineral fertilizers, etc.

The development of the peat industry is carried out in two main directions:

extraction and use of peat for fuel and energy purposes and in agriculture;
production of new types of peat products through energy-technological, chemical and biochemical processing of peat.

It should be noted that as peat resources are developed in a number of regions of the European part of Russia, peat deposits in the North-West and Western Siberia will be involved in production - in economic regions that are characterized mainly by the worst natural and climatic conditions for peat extraction. This should be considered as a factor in the extensive development of the industry, which, nevertheless, should be accompanied by the intensification of the peat extraction process.

The unsurpassed benefits of peat and peat products are:

cleanliness and sterility, completely absent pathogenic microflora, pathogens, man-made pollution and weed seeds;
moisture capacity and air capacity (friability and flowability of the material) with a high ion-exchange ability allows you to adsorb and maintain the optimal moisture-air ratio, gradually give the plants elements of mineral nutrition);
the content in the composition of natural natural humic acids, which have a stimulating effect on the development of plants and beneficial microflora.

Peat deposits: Arkhangelsk, Vladimir, Leningrad, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Tver regions. In total, there are 7 large peat bases in Russia with operational reserves of 45 billion tons.

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