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Title: Inventory of peat resources, Aitkin County, Minnesota

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5218481

The subject of this report is the Minnesota Peat Inventory Project (MPIP) reconnaissance-level peatland survey of Aitkin County, which contains 170,050 ha (420,160 ac) of peatland. The main objectives of this study were to map the resource and to determine the quality, quantity, and energy potential of peat in the county. The report consists of (1) a text that discusses the resource and the survey; and (2) a map of the peat resources in Aitkin County. Over 700 sites were visited by the MPIP to determine peat type and depth. Samples were obtained from 188 selected representative sites for MPIP laboratory analysis. Peatlands cover 170,050 ha (420,160 ac) or 33% of the total area of Aitkin County. Total oven-dried tons of peat amount to 246,414,000 metric tons (276,237,000 US short tons). The peatlands meeting the DOE criteria for fuel-grade peat cover 30,390 ha (75,080 ac) or 18% of the county's lands is 98,134,000 oven-dried metric tons (110,012,000 oven-dried US short tons). These peatlands cover at least 80 contiguous acres and are composed of peat that (1) has an average energy value of 8,874 Btu/lb (moisture-free), (2) has an average ash content of 10.6%, and (3) is at least 150 cm (5 ft) deep. The estimated potential energy of these peat deposits is 1.97 x 10/sup 15/ Btu (1.97 quads of energy) if all three peat types, fibric, hemic, and sapric, in deposits greater than 150 cm deep are considered.

Research Organization:
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources, St. Paul (USA). Div. of Minerals
DOE Contract Number:
FG01-79ET14692
OSTI ID:
5218481
Report Number(s):
DOE/ET/14692-T3; ON: DE82019863
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English