Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Peat - Introduction

Peat is a soft organic material consisting of partly decayed plant matter together with deposited minerals. Table 8-1 indicates for each country the area covered by a layer of peat, known as peatland. For land to be designated as peatland, the depth of the peat layer, excluding the thickness of the plant layer, must be at least 20 cm on drained land, and 30 cm on undrained. Peatland reserves are most frequently quoted on an area basis because initial quantification normally arises through soil survey programmes or via remotely-sensed data. Even where deposit depths and total peat volumes are known, it is still not possible to quantify the reserves in energy terms because the energy content of in-situ peat depends on its moisture and ash content. However, the organic component of peat deposits has a fairly constant anhydrous, ash-free calorific value of 20-22 MJ/kg, and if the total quantity of organic material is known, together with the average moisture and ash content, then the peat reserve can be expressed in standard energy units