2b. Peat Formation & Coalification Process
Peat and the Peatification Process
Peat is partially decayed plant material that forms in wetlandsA dark-brown or black structureless groundmass produced by the partial decomposition and disintegration of plant material in a marsh or... Read More. For peat to form, plant debris must accumulate faster than bacteria can break it down. The partial decomposition of plant material in swampy, waterlogged environments is called peatification. Peat is used for heating as a firewood alternative. It forms a suitable fuel for boiler firing when it is briquetted or pulverized. Peat is also used for household cooking or even to produce small amounts of electricityA form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically as an... Read More.
When peat is buried, heat and pressure transformThe changes of mineralogy and texture imposed on a rock by pressure and temperature in the earth’ interior, as well... Read More the peat into coala dark brown to black combustible rock of organic origin formed over millions of years by the partial decomposition of... Read More over time. First, peat becomes ligniteBrownish-black coal in which the alteration of vegetal material has proceeded further than in peat but not so far as... Read More,then lignite forms sub-bituminous, sub-bituminous coal becomes bituminous coalA soft coal formed by an intermediate degree of carbonization and containing 15 to 20 percent volatiles. The most common... Read More, and lastly, bituminous coal becomes anthraciteThe most highly carbonized and metamorphosed form of coal, containing 92 to 98 percent of fixed carbon. It is black,... Read More.
