Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Milling peat extraction technology is now the most wide-spread. It is urgent to reduce the in-process peat losses and decrease power consumption at the final stages of operating the fields with complicated hydrological regime. Methods/Statistical Analysis: While studying the process of peat spread dewatering after discharge from the edges of the ditch to the technological bed surface laboratory physical models were used. Physical simulation results after statistical processing of the data set (four parallel series of measurements for five height intervals within the dewatering time of 300 hours) were compared with the results obtained in the theoretical analysis based on the porous model of peat body. The regressive concordance coefficients foe the results obtained by the theoretical and physical models did not exceed 0.98. Findings: Based on the results of theoretical and experimental studies mathematical expressions are suggested for engineering calculations of technological parameters of the repair cycle during milled peat production in the fields with complicated hydrological regime. An innovative technology was proposed for repair of peat fields, enabling to increase the intensity of peat drying and extend cyclic peat harvesting with reduced area of technological sites. The theoretical data obtained and their engineering options proposed will provide increase in the extraction factor of onbalance peat reserves from 0.6 (for milling peat extraction technology) to 0.7-0.72. The proposed technology has significant environmental benefits, which is provided by concurrent field reclamation during milled peat production by growing the bog-forming plants on the ditch edges, which together with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions provides intensified carbon dioxide absorption (up to 10 times) by the newly formed wetland ecosystem. Applications/Improvements: The proposed technology and developed engineering applications may be used by design institutions when drawing up plans for peat deposits extraction and developing abandoned and degraded peatland reclamation projects.

Keywords: Dehydration, Milled Peat, Peat, Production, Technology