What is peat? Detailed answer

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What is peat? Detailed answer

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What is peat?

Peat is not coal. It can be called a stage in the process of obtaining coal. Coal is the remains of ancient trees and plants that grew in swampy jungles, in a warm, humid climate hundreds of millions of years ago. These trees and plants eventually got into the swamp water. During the decomposition of wood by bacteria, gases were produced that escaped, and a black mixture was formed, the main part of which was carbon. Over time, under the pressure of mud and sand, the liquid leaves the mixture, and the viscous mass hardens, turning into coal. This process, from start to finish, spans thousands of years. But the first stages of the coal formation process can be seen even now.

Peat forms in the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina and in thousands of swamps in the northern states of the United States and Canada. In these swamps, plants are in the process of decomposition, releasing large amounts of carbon. After several years of this process, a brown mixed mass of twigs, branches and leaves is formed. This is peat. When water is pumped out of such a swamp, the peat can be cut into pieces, laid out to dry, and burned. Drying is necessary, since peat in the soil is 3/4 water.

In Ireland, where peat is plentiful and coal expensive, more than half of the farmers use peat for fuel. Other types of coal are derivatives of peat. If peat is left where it was formed, it gradually turns into lignite, or brown coal. It is harder than peat, but still quite soft and crumbles when transported over long distances.

The next type of coal is bituminous, or soft coal. It is formed in the earth from lignite through chemical changes and under pressure over thousands of years. It is the most important member of the coal family. It burns easily and is found in large quantities. If bituminous coal is in the ground and subjected to sufficient pressure, it gradually turns into hard coal, or anthracite. It burns almost without smoke and lasts longer than bituminous coal.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Why do catfish have mustaches?

Catfish may ask you a counter question: "Why do you call them "whiskers"? It's not a mustache at all!" These processes, of course, resemble a cat's whiskers, which is why the fish is sometimes called cat-fish. In fact, these are antennae or probes, with the help of which the catfish learns what is happening around.

The fish has another feature that resembles a cat: when caught, it makes a buzzing or croaking sound, vaguely similar to the purring of a cat. Boys are especially familiar with catfish because it is one of the easiest fish to catch. She grabs any bait, from a piece of red string to a worm. And since catfish always take great care of their offspring and protect their nest, they multiply in huge numbers.

The catfish family has about 2000 different species. The European catfish reaches a length of 3 meters, and its weight is up to 180 kilograms. In Mississippi and the Great Lakes there are some species weighing up to 68 kilograms. Many catfish are very tasty, especially the white catfish found in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River and the blue catfish found in the southern sculpin rivers. Some catfish have rather strange habits.

One of the South American species has the habit of traveling overland from pond to pond, and the catfish of another species builds a nest of grass stalks for its offspring. In Africa, there is even an electric catfish that can deliver a significant electric shock. In the Nile there is a catfish that escapes the sight of its enemies by swimming with its black belly up and its white back down!

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