Search results for "Peat"
showing 10 items of 1026 documents
Particle size based recovery of phosphorus from combined peat and wood fly ash for forest fertilization
2016
Abstract Correlations between the concentrations of P, K, and As with particle size in fly ash from power plants were examined with a viewpoint to obtain fractions suitable for forest fertilization. Fly ash samples from several CHP plants were fractionated by using four sieves and the five fractions were analyzed by ICP-OES; it was found that both P and K are concentrated in smallest size (
Planning land use for biogas energy crop production: The potential of cutaway peat production lands
2016
Each year, thousands of hectares of peatland that had been harvested are being released in Finland, which can offer an opportunity to increase energy crops and attain the bioenergy targets for non-agriculture lands. In this study, the Geographic Information System (GIS) method was used to improve the assessment of decentralized renewable energy resources. The amount of peat production lands and future cutaway areas for energy crop production was calculated as a case study by using ArcGIS and the Finnish Topographic database. There are almost 1000 km2 of peat production lands in Finland, and theoretically, approximately 300 km2 of cutaway peatlands could be used for energy crops after 30 yea…
Reconstruction of palaeovegetation and sedimentation conditions in the area of ancient Lake Burtnieks, northern Latvia
2010
Palaeobotanical investigations were carried out with the aim of reconstructing the development of palaeovegetation and formation of sediments in the northeastern area of ancient Lake Burtnieks. Pollen and plant macroremain studies provide information on vegetation development in the surroundings of the lake, including Stone Age settlements of Braukšas I and Braukšas II. Results of the investigations indicate that the development of vegetation together with sedimentation conditions in the palaeolake have changed since the Younger Dryas until today. Vegetation composition varies in different parts of the ancient Lake Burtnieks area due to past changes in lake water level which reached differe…
Effects of habitat restoration on peatland bird communities
2020
Restoration of damaged ecosystems has become an important tool to slow down the biodiversity loss and to maintain ecosystem services. Peatland bird populations have shown a substantial decline during the recent decades in Northern Europe as a consequence of peatland drainage. We studied whether restoration of peatlands drained for forestry affects bird communities. We conducted bird surveys at 11 peatlands in Western Finland, where each of the restored and their pristine counterparts were surveyed before restoration and yearly after restoration during 2010–2018. We used linear mixed effect models to analyze whether restoration affected the number of species and territories of peatland speci…
Importance of iron and aluminium in rapid and slow combustion of peat
1990
Abstract The effects of Fe and Al on peat combustion and the formation of nitrogen oxides were studied under conditions of rapid combustion in an entrained flow reactor, and under conditions of slow combustion in a thermobalance and a differential scanning calorimeter. Iron had a strong catalytic effect on both the slow and rapid combustion, and it decreased the ratio of N2O to NO in the combustion gases. A decrease in the content of inorganic compounds decreased reactivity, probably because of the decrease in iron content. Aluminium did not have a detectable catalytic effect on the combustion rate but it depressed the formation of nitrogen oxides slightly. The chemical treatment to increas…
Development of Peat Processing Methods for Production of Innovative Products
2020
Synthesis or humification of humic substances (HSs) is the second widely applied organic compound transformation process after photosynthesis. Peat decomposition process results in a production of a HSs which has a high demand in agriculture, forestry, and gardening areas. Addition of the KOH is good option for environmental protection and K+ belongs to the nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous (NKP) mineral component. A homogenization process in a customize for commerce, where peat treatment technology was improved with the help of the cavitation effect. This effect was provided with the help of the high-speed mixer-disperser (HSMD) developed at Riga Technical University. Mechanical cavitati…
Arsenic Sorption onto Peat and Iron Humates
2012
Environmental pollution with arsenic is a global problem; therefore, new remediation methods are needed. Peat modified with iron compounds and iron humates were prepared and tested for sorption of arsenic compounds. The highest sorption capacity was observed when iron-modified peat was used. Sorption of different arsenic speciation forms onto iron-modified peat sorbents was investigated as a function of pH, reaction time and temperature. Sorption capacity increases with temperature and was spontaneous and endothermic.
The Impact of Humic Substances as Remediation Agents to the Speciation Forms of Metals in Soil
2013
Abstract Humic substances (HS) are the most widespread group of organic substances in natural environment and have high stability. The main terrestrial reserves are found in the form of naturally occurring ore, peat or lignite. The aim of this paper is to study possibilities to use HS as agents for remediation of contaminated with heavy metals soil and impacts of HS of metal speciation forms in it. It has been proved that HS are able to bind to metal ions and change their speciation forms in soils. The ability to form complexes with metal ions depends on the type of soil, type of metal, as well as concentrations of HS in soil. The study was carried out in experimental conditions and analyti…
Water retention characteristics of substrates containing biochar and compost as peat and perlite replacements for ornamental plant production
2021
In Italy peat and perlite are commonly used as growth substrates in ornamental plant nurseries. Requests for ecologically sustainable growth substrates have recently focused research on the study of new media. In this context, biochar and compost, by-products of other production chains, may play a relevant role. Four growth substrates were prepared by mixing (v/v) different porous matrices including a 2-mm sieved sandy loam soil namely: 50% peat and 50% perlite (PPr), 50% compost and 50% biochar (CB), 25% peat, 25% perlite, 25% compost and 25% biochar (PPrCB) and 25% peat, 25% compost and 50% mineral soil (PCM). Water retention curves of porous matrices and growth substrates were determined…
Relationship between the seed rain and the establishment of vegetation in two areas abandoned after peat harvesting
1987
In this study the number and species composition of diaspores dispersing into two newly abandoned peat harvesting areas in Finland were investigated. In an area abandoned six years earlier a total of 2978 living seeds m−2, representing 18 species, was captured by using water-filled traps during two summers. In a one-year-old succession area the total number of living seeds m−2 was 2241, representing 16 plant species. The soil seed banks were found to be empty of viable seeds. In neither area there appeared to be any relation between number of dispersing seeds and of plant individuals of the same species in the pioneer vegetation. It is suggested that unfavourable conditions on the soil surf…