Sunday, August 15, 2010

Peat

Peat is an accumilation of partially decomposed vegetation and undergrowth which is present and harvested in swamps, bogs and moors and used as a feul source in many areas of the world. The largest sources of feat are located in Eastern and Northern Europe and Noth America, specifically US and Canada. Peat can also include decayed tree and animal matter.



- Peat is the earliest compostion in the making of coal.

- The areas which most depend on peat as a source of fuel are Ireland and Scotland, where a lack of trees promote it's use for household chores such as cooking.

- Peat has been regarded by the European Parliment as a renewable energy source despite the high concentrations of carbon found in peat, as well as the fact that peat cannot be regrown nearly as quickly as other energy sources. The classification is still disputed between environmentalists and representatives from the EPAGMA (European Peat and Growing Media Association.)

- Because production of peat requires dense vegetaion and decomposition which create high levels of carbon, peat fires can break out as easily as brush fires and be twice as hard to combat. The dense foliage can hide fires under the surface which are unseen. These fires then spread and break surface in a new area. Peat fires create more smoke than other fires.


Sources:
- http://www.euronews.net/2010/08/12/peat-bog-fires-near-chernobyl-site/
- http://robertkyriakides.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/russian-peat-fires-are-creating-more-environmental-havoc-than-deepwater/
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38655074/
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/world/europe/13russia.html?_r=1&ref=russia

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