Peat deposit. Peat deposits in the Soviet Union

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 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 a bedding for livestock, greenhouse soils, a good antiseptic agent 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; the high qualities of peat as a filtering material are known.

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

Due to progress in exploration and development 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:

1. extraction and use of peat for fuel and energy purposes and in agriculture;
2. 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:

1. cleanliness and sterility, completely absent pathogenic microflora, pathogens, man-made pollution and weed seeds;
2. 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);
3. 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.

One of important species natural resources, formed in the process of natural death and incomplete decay of marsh plants in conditions of excessive moisture and difficult air access. It is used as a fertilizer, fuel, raw material for, construction material, as well as for medical purposes (the so-called peat therapy).

By reserves and area peat deposits, the value and variety of their resources is unparalleled in the world. World peat reserves are estimated at about 500 billion tons, of which about 188 billion tons (more than 37%) are in Russia.

The peat resources of our country are distributed extremely unevenly. More than 80% of them are located in Siberia, the rest - in the European part of the country. There are especially many peat deposits in Western Siberia. It takes into account 5004 deposits, the total resources of which are more than 100 billion tons, that is, more than 20% of the world and more than 50% of Russian reserves.

The huge peat resources of Western Siberia (almost 90%) are represented by large deposits with an area of ​​​​more than 50 thousand hectares, from which deposits located in the Vasyugan swamp stand out Tomsk region: Vasyuganskoye (2310.4 thousand ha), Konovalovskoye-Yugolovskoye-Karasye (373.5 thousand ha), Pasol and Kogot (210.3 thousand ha), Small Vasyuganskoye (141.7 thousand ha), Lebyazhye- Isan (53.3 thousand ha). Other large peat deposits of the Tomsk region are Kulai (72 thousand ha), Andryushkino II (77.7), Aleksandrovskoye (75), Ozernoe Bolshoi (572.4 thousand ha).

The main deposits of peat in the country were formed in the last 7-10 thousand years. The thickness of the peat layer grows annually by 0.2–2.0 mm (that is, on an area of ​​80.5 million hectares, more than 100 million tons of standard peat are formed annually). According to accepted standards, 96% of peat is suitable for compost production and 90% for fuel.

Peat is a natural pantry of humic substances that make up from 20 to 70% of organic mass, as well as nitrogen, the average content of which is: in high-moor peat - 1.5% (from 0.6 to 2.5%), in lowland - 2.6% (from 1.3 to 3.8%).
The following types of peat are distinguished: low-lying, transitional and high-moor. Raised peatlands are located on watersheds; low-lying - on relief depressions, most often in floodplains. Therefore, lowland peat is considered the best for the production of fertilizers; however, due to its lower moisture capacity, it is inferior to riding manure in the production of bedding manure. Especially widely peat is used in the Nonchernozem zone of the country.

Over the past century, about 1 billion tons of peat have been used in Russia for fuel and energy purposes, which is equivalent to 400 million tons. hard coal. Until recently, the country was the largest consumer of fuel peat. Currently, it ranks only fourth in the world, behind, and, where the contribution of peat to energy production is from 10 to 20%.
The energy potential of Russia's peat resources, estimated at 49.5 billion tons of standard fuel, indicates the insufficiency of its use in the country's energy balance. The reserves of peat only at the developed deposits make it possible to increase the volume of its production to 10–11 million tons per year, which is theoretically equivalent to 7% of the coal consumed annually in Russia.

It should be noted an important circumstance that increases the competitiveness of peat fuel - its environmental safety, ease of disposal of peat ash (compared to coal slag), reduction of harmful emissions, primarily sulfur and nitrogen oxides.

For peat therapy, peat is usually used that meets sanitary and hygienic requirements - a high (more than 60%) degree of decomposition and heated to 42–52 ° C. Peat treatment is more easily tolerated than treatment with silt mud.

A crisis recent years especially affected the agricultural use of peat. In the pre-reform years - a period of intense Agriculture, the share of peat in organic fertilizers in Russia reached 12–15%, and in some areas, especially the Non-Black Earth Region, up to 50–60%. Average annual peat application in 1986–1990 amounted to about 92 million tons, in 1994 - 29 million tons, in 1997 - less than 5 million tons. The share of peat used as organic fertilizer has fallen sharply in all economic regions of the country.

Peat— natural organic material, combustible minerals; 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 in complex 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 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 a bedding for livestock, greenhouse soils, a good antiseptic agent 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; the high qualities of peat as a filtering material are known.

For the first time in Russia, peat extraction for fuel purposes was started in St. Petersburg in 1789, and in 1893 in St.

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 of the Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kirov and Kalinin regions operated on peat fuel. In addition, peat fuel has reached 20-40% in the fuel balances of the power 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:

1. extraction and use of peat for fuel and energy purposes and in agriculture;
2. 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:

1. cleanliness and sterility, completely absent pathogenic microflora, pathogens, man-made pollution and weed seeds;
2. 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);
3. 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.

The term "peat" is applied to a mineral that has combustible qualities, and is formed during the decomposition of mosses in swamps. It is used as fuel or fertilizer. A huge number of peat pots are made from it, used for growing seedlings. They even make wax, dyes, ethyl alcohol, fodder yeast from it.

In this article we will talk about how peat is mined.

Peat mining

Peat is mined by the following methods:

• hydraulic
• milling
• excavator (lump)
• carved.

Mining method nameDescription

Fresopeat	Fresopeat (milling method of peat extraction) is the most common method of peat extraction, but also the most sensitive to changes in weather conditions. With the milling method, peat is loosened to a depth of 2 cm using a tractor with attachments installed on it. Such equipment is a milling drum or a knife milling cutter. Rotating around their own axis and deepening into deposits, the cutters remove a thin layer, turning it into a crumb. Peat loosened in this way dries in the sun. During drying, the peat is turned over 1-3 times using a tedder, which is also mounted on the tractor. After the milled peat reaches the right moisture content, it is collected into windrows right on the field. Milling, stirring and swathing form the so-called "collection cycle". Immediately after swathing, a new process of milling the surface of the swamp begins. Peat collected in rolls absorbs moisture worse and therefore remains dry. After 4-6 collection cycles, peat is loaded onto trailers using a belt conveyor and delivered to a special site for subsequent storage in heaps. Milled peat can be dried only in dry sunny weather, therefore its extraction is possible only in summer for a fairly short period of time. Milled peat is a loose mixture of small particles of different sizes. The milling process is also used for the production of sod fuel peat. In this case, the peat deposit is first loosened (to a depth of up to 500 mm) and reworked, and then formed into pieces of the required size.
Hydropeat	The hydraulic method of peat development, invented in 1914 by engineers R. E. Klasson and V. Kirpichnikov, was widely developed in the 20s and 30s of the XX century and contributed to the creation of large industrial-type peat enterprises at that time.
Lump	The excavator or lump method of extraction with the excavator method produces peat fuel in the form of large pieces weighing 500-1000 g. Sod peat is extracted using a mounted disc with a hydraulic cylinder. The disc lifts the peat to the surface from a depth of about 50 cm. It is pressed under pressure in a cylinder, and then pushed out through rectangular nozzles and laid in waves on the field surface. The result is the so-called wavy sod peat. After a few hours of drying in the sun, the formed lump peat almost does not absorb moisture. Sufficiently well-dried sod peat (as well as milled peat) is collected in rolls, where it is dried. Peat mining After that, another portion of peat is raised to the surface. In this way, 1-3 layers of peat are rolled, after which it is collected and transported for insertion into piles.

However, the most common methods are milling and carving.

The material obtained by milling is called milled peat. Peat deposits by this method are mined from the surface in thin layers. The technology looks like this:

• first, the upper layer of the peat deposit is milled.

  The layer of the obtained material includes particles with a size of 15 - 25 m

• then you need to stir up the milled layer of peat. This is done in order to enhance the evaporation process.
• then dry peat is collected in rolls with a triangular cross section
• after that, the harvested peat is stacked and, if necessary, isolated.

During one season, from 10 to 50 such cycles can be carried out. This method is used in any fields.

Preparatory measures for this method consist in draining the peat massif, cleaning its surface from large residues. The advantages of this method are low labor intensity and cost.
Sod peat is obtained in this way:

• raw peat is extracted and processed with the formation of bricks from this mass
• bricks are lined on the field
• dried and stacked products.

Peat reserves

A peat deposit is a section of the earth's surface that contains peat deposits.

During the development of the vegetation cover and the growth of peat layers, there is a change in the conditions of water and mineral nutrition. In addition, the formation of peat is influenced by climatic and other factors. It all depends on the geomorphological conditions of occurrence. There are such deposits:

• floodplain
• terraced. They are characterized by the presence of riding and transitional types.

  The average level of deposits is from 2 to 5 meters

• watershed relief. Such areas have upland vegetation. The average level of deposits is from 3 to 6 meters
• mountainous, ravine.

  Such deposits are less common. Their area is small

• valley.

There are in size:

• small, containing no more than 100 hectares
• medium, contain from 100 to 1000 hectares
• large, have a size of more than 1000 hectares.

Today, about 25 million tons of peat are mined in the world. The highest production level was recorded in 1984 and 1985. Then about 380 million tons of peat were mined in one year.

After that, the volume of extracted peat began to decline and in 1992 reached only 29 million tons.
The Russian Federation occupies a leading position in the world in terms of peat reserves. Part of Russia in global deposits reaches 40-60%.

Peat deposits are evenly distributed throughout the state, but due to the huge reserves of oil and gas, the volume of peat production falls annually.

peat, peat extraction, peat deposits

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.

Diversity of peat deposits by types of deposits, types of peat, their genesis and raw material properties determines the need for comprehensive knowledge about the origin and natural features of 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 sectors of the 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 formers, types of peat, the content of microinclusions, the presence of humic and other acids, their molecular structure, properties and t.

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 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 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 was consumed in small quantities 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 use of peat is the manufacture of shaped insulation. High Quality from peat of 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, especially much has been done in recent decades, and mainly by Soviet chemists and biologists in collaboration with bog 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 are transformed as a result of biochemical and physico-chemical processes into a kind of complex of organic compounds, relatively resistant to further decomposition and mineralization.

Peat- organic rock containing no more than 50% of mineral substances (from 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 more or less homogeneous in composition and color mass of black or brown in 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 of the postglacial period (Holocene) are the youngest geological deposits of the 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 in 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, southern part The USSR has a relatively small percentage of peat. For the middle and northern parts 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 the peat deposit is different: on peat bogs of predominantly atmospheric nutrition, plants of the oligotrophic (upper) type grow, which 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 total area 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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Today Russia is one of the leaders in the mining industry. Naturally, oil and natural gas take the first place.

In Russia, these main types of production are:

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

As you know, mining is a rather complex process in which it is necessary to squeeze out the earth from gaseous, solid or liquid minerals.

Such mining covers the first economic spectrum. The main tasks of the capture are to find the storage of any useful mineral material, and then pull it out of the Earth's gut and then deliver it to the processing site.

However, I would like to draw a lot of attention to the peat industry, which is currently suffering from a shortage.

Collective chemical composition of organic products of various types of peat

Peat industry

Today, peat is used in agriculture, chemical plants, power plants.

So what is peat? Peat has a characteristic brown color. Long was formed from practically degraded plant remains, especially mosses. Peat areas are swamps and ponds that are almost overgrown. In Russia, forests contain patches of peat.

In fact, peat is made up of 60% carbon, making it the most important biomaterial since it has enough high temperature combustion. Peat is also made from various heat-insulating materials, such as plates.

Recall that in 2010 in Russia there was a terrible fire associated with the burning of peat bogs, which caused damage to forests.

After the incident, it became obvious that the peat industry would be recovering for a long time.

Now about 25 million tons of peat is produced all over the world. In 1985, peat extraction reached its peak, which during the year amounted to 380 million tons. Since the 1990s, however, production levels have dropped significantly to 29 million tons.

Development of the peat industry in Russia

Peat industry began to appear in the XII-XIII centuries.

The first countries to acquire and use were Scotland and the Netherlands. And since the 16th century. Peat production began in Germany, France and Sweden. Russia for the first time lagged behind European countries when minerals were mined in 1700, when peat deposits first appeared on the edge of Peter I near Voronezh.

Three years later, landfills were found near Azov. Much later, until the end of the 18th century. peat extraction began near St. Petersburg and the Smolensk region. Almost until the 20th century.

Oil production was carried out in a primitive way, i.e. using the simplest equipment: framing frames, peat grinders and various gripping devices. In general, the peat was excavated and cut. Before processing, the peat carried horses as well as waterways, canals, and rivers. During the time of the landowners, various committees and schools were established in the provinces, where the methods of processing mountain and peat materials were studied.

End of XIX. century. marked the transition to plant mining, which resulted in minerals getting improved equipment.

Strange since the beginning of the 20th century. Russia has surpassed European countries in production technologies and quantity of peat. About 40 peat deposits were created in the Moscow region.

In Russia, in 1913, the world's first power plant was built, which processed peat into fuel. Engineers V. Kirpichnikov and R. Koron developed a scheme for extracting peat by hydraulic means. In 1914, thanks to this method, Russia managed to create industrial enterprises for peat processing. Already in the twenties of the last century, excavators began to be used, which greatly simplified the extraction of all minerals.

From the Urals, they began to supply peat to heavy industry, 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. Compared to 1914, it has increased 93 times.

Today, companies specializing in peat processing are grouped. For example, in the Smolensk region, Smolenkstorf produces about 100,000 tons of ore peat, processes it into energy resources, about 280,000 tons of mines for agricultural purposes, etc.

Detailed information on methods and types of peat extraction

As already mentioned, there are more peat deposits on the surface.

Peat is obtained with only two basic schemes:

• from the surface of the earth (cut from the topsoil)
• from quarries (using excavators)

There are only 5 types of peat:

• milling (cutting)
• hidrokrek
• hidrotour
• stocky
• red

grinding peat- one of the most common types. The mine is only 2 cm deep thanks to a tractor that loosens the soil, melts the peat and turns it into fine crumbs.

Then the peat is dried in the sun, it accumulates in rolls, and then the second layer is loosened. After each such process, peat is removed in the same place 5-6 times more. The collected peat is delivered to special place and collected in separate balls. A suitable season for obtaining such peat is the summer period, when the mineral can be naturalized. The grinding method is also used to produce flat peat.

Pumpen peat obtained through excavations.

Each such piece of peat weighs at least 500 g. This extraction method is practically the same as the previous method, but the only difference is that weather conditions are required.

Pumped peat can be mined at any time of the year. Peat from a depth of 50 cm is extracted using a special disc with a cylinder in which the peat is pressed.

Hydrotorf produced in a hydraulic way, first proposed in 1914, as mentioned earlier.

chopped peat extracted from peat bricks by hand, sometimes by machine design.

As for the transportation of peat from the mining site, it is carried out after the final drying of the peat and 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, and this spherical peat uses one that decomposes by 40%. She pulls her out of the swamp and overgrown ponds. Peat, broken down to only 25%, is great for pet bedding. Before use, peat is usually well ventilated, but not dried to the limit. Sometimes it freezes especially, so it is easier to crush it and divide it into sections to be fertilized.

Since peat contains too little phosphorus and potassium, manure, superphosphate and some potassium chloride should be added.

Peat gives preference to soil fertility and improves its structure.

Since peat contains almost no micro and macro elements, it is rich in beneficial acids that promote growth and development. This is good for any country because it has the advantage of a garter.

Really. Peat can be divided into two types: light and heavy. Light has a decomposition rate of 15% and a weight of 40% or more. In agriculture, turf contributes well to long-term moisture retention as well as oxygen exchange.

Peat industry today

The volume of peat resources is about 400 million.

ha, but only about 300 million hectares have begun to operate. Only 23 countries are involved in peat extraction. The leaders are Russia, where about 150 million hectares are concentrated, in Canada, where peatlands make up 110 million hectares.

ha. Peat is a renewable resource and much more is produced than is consumed. The global peat reserve is concentrated in Russia, since it contains 60% of the resources. But in terms of production, Russia ranks fourth, ahead of Canada, Finland and Ireland.

Only 30% of the world's peat reserves are used for fuel, while the remaining 70% is used for horticulture and agriculture. The top layer of peat has sufficient properties for animal husbandry, floriculture, planting and growing plants in greenhouses.

Peat plays an important role in the world market, in particular peat, which is the most exported.

In the Tver region, the peak of peat is 21%. For this reason, the Tver region is fully equipped with energy and soil fertility. JSC "Tvertorf" produces the largest amount of peat products throughout Russia. In the 1990s, the production of mineral resources declined significantly.

Due to the crisis, equipment has ceased to be modernized, and the capacity of companies specializing in peat has also decreased. Today, production data is trying to continue, but this process requires significant funding and more work.

The main problem of the peat industry is the development of a regulatory framework.

There are some inconsistencies in legal status peat deposits, where there is not enough clarity in the use of loans provided tax service. There are also shortcomings in the calculation of landings and taxes. Therefore, today the peat industry is rather stalled.

The Russian government has set a goal to increase the level of extraction and processing of peat by 2030 to improve living conditions in the municipal, family, agricultural and agricultural sectors.

The first necessary criterion is to improve the production base, i.e. for the development of new equipment, only then can peat be effectively used in power plants specializing in heat supply.

Peat products

In the future because of useful properties peat can be used in medicine. The peat extract is enriched with minerals, and its properties are excellent for the human body, especially the healing effect on the skin and subcutaneous tissue. By 2030, peat will be restored, and remote boilers will be built in boilers and thermoelectric plants, the main source of which will be peat.

Peat- a mineral consisting of the remains of plants that are at different stages of decomposition. It is in demand in agriculture and the energy industry. Due to the high carbon content, which provides excellent calorific value, the material is used as a biofuel. Now buy peat possible at a good price. It enriches the soil with a balanced composition of organic and mineral nutrients. It is diluted with sand and soil to achieve optimal acidity and breathability.

Mined peat open way. Its deposits are always on the surface. Mostly it is a swampy area. Russia ranks 4th-5th in terms of production of this mineral, behind Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Estonia. In the Moscow region, the main one is in the Dmitrovsky district.

Peat extraction methods

There are 2 ways to extract a mineral - milling and lumpy. Several decades ago, peat was cut by hand and formed into bricks for subsequent drying. Now most of the processes are automated. This increases the speed of its extraction and reduces the cost.

Milling peat extraction

Peat extracted by milling in short cycles. Most of the work is 100% automated. The upper layer of the formation is cut at a depth of up to 25-40 cm (determined based on weather conditions). It goes through the following steps:

• tedding. Allows you to speed up the process of evaporation of moisture from peat, promotes grinding and loosening;
• windrowing. Dried peat is collected in rolls with a triangular cross section and left for further drying;
• collection. Stacks and briquettes are formed from the dried substance for further storage and transportation.

The milling method is easy to implement. It allows you to make from 10 to 50 collection cycles from one site per season. The disadvantage of the method is its strong dependence on weather conditions. This is due to the drying method, which may be interrupted by rain or other precipitation.

Rejection this method peat extraction is not considered. High efficiency mineral extraction is guaranteed with a limited number of cycles.

Now peat milling method is mined in deposits of all types. Prior to the start of the cycle, the peat massif is drained, vegetation is cleared and the top layer of the tow is removed.

lump method

Mining is carried out by excavation. For this, special equipment is used. It extracts raw material from an open pit and forms briquettes of a given shape from it. Along with the excavator, a shearing machine is used that performs the functions of swathing. This technology it is used in the extraction of lowland peat deposits, the degree of decomposition of which exceeds 15%, and the ash content reaches 23%.

Peat types

Having made a decision buy peat, it is necessary to determine the tasks for which it will be used. All types of this fossil are classified according to the place of extraction and the degree of decomposition:

• riding. Occurs on high ground. It is formed from plants that receive a large amount of oxygen. High-moor peat is characterized by high acidity. For agricultural use, it is quenched with lime. It has the least amount of trace elements;
• transitional. Formed on the plains. Has average characteristics;
• lowland. It is formed in the lowlands from plants with a high content of nutrients. It has neutral acidity. Now you can buy this type of peat for the preparation of soil mixtures.

According to the degree of decomposition, slightly decomposed, medium decomposed and strongly decomposed peat. This parameter has a direct effect on the color of the substance and contributes to the determination of its age.

Peat processing

Peat is a renewable natural resource. Every year it is formed in quantities 120 times higher than the entire level of world production. Therefore, many consider it as a source of energy.

Qualitative peat does not require processing before use. This has a positive effect on its value.

Now peat is processed to solve a wide range of problems. It is used in construction for thermal insulation works, and is used in medicine. Due to the ability to neutralize and absorb heavy metals This mineral contributes to the protection of the environment. It serves as a filter element in sewage facilities.

Often due to the desire to meet the needs of agriculture. Its excellent characteristics make the most poor and lifeless soils fertile.

Peat extraction has been established by many companies. This mineral can be bought in close proximity to the place of intended use. This will help reduce transportation costs.

PEAT DEPOSITS (a. peat deposit; n. Torflager, Torfablagerung; f. gite de tourbe; and. yacimiento de turba, deposito de turba, criadero de turba) - a geological body formed by the bedding of peat various kinds, the regular change of which reflects changes in the conditions of water and mineral nutrition, vegetation cover and the process of peat formation. The main characteristics of the peat deposit: genetic type and type, size (area) at the boundary of industrial depths and at the zero boundary, depth, peat thickness, mineral interlayer thickness, presence and thickness of sapropel, humidity, degree of decomposition, ash content, etc.

Peat deposits are divided into four types:, mixed and. The low-lying type includes deposits with a thickness of low-lying peat over half the total depth, a layer of high-moor peat does not exceed 0.5 m; to the transitional type - deposits composed of transitional peat at least half of the total depth, the layer of high-moor peat does not exceed 0.5 m. The mixed type includes deposits in which the layer of high-moor peat is less than half of the total depth, but not less than 0.5 m ; the lower layers may be composed of low-lying or transitional peats. The high-moor type includes deposits where the layer of high-moor peat is at least half of the total depth; the lower part of the deposit may be composed of transitional or lowland peats.

The types of peat deposits are subdivided into subtypes (forest, forest-marsh, and marsh) and types, depending on the predominance or combination of the corresponding subtypes, groups, or types of peat; sometimes the sequence of stratification is also taken into account. Each type of deposit has an average depth, degree of decomposition, ash content and humidity. The greatest average depths have peat deposits of the raised type of the fens subtype (5 m or more), the smallest - of the forest subtype (1.2-1.7 m). The average indicators of the degree of decomposition are the highest in the peat deposit of the forest subtype (45-55%), the lowest - in the marsh subtype (20-30%). The average humidity has an inverse relationship - in swampy peat deposits it is high (91-93%), in forests it is the lowest (88-89%). The lowest average ash content is in peat deposits of the upland type (2.7-4%), the highest is in the low-lying type (6.5-12%). The coefficients of variation for the degree of decomposition and ash content do not exceed 30%, for humidity - 2%. More often than others, there are deposits of upland and lowland types; peat deposits of upland type are common for the most part in the forest zone on peat deposits of watershed outwash and moraine plains, second and third terraces. Peat deposits of the lowland type - mainly in peat deposits of floodplains, by name-terraced and partly in deposits of basins of watershed moraine relief. The structure of peat deposits and their quality characteristic predetermines the direction of use and the way of development. For example, fuscum, complex upland and magellanicum deposits are developed by milling, the products are used as thermal insulation and bedding material (upper weakly decomposed part), as well as fuel; low-lying type deposits - for agriculture and fuel.