Peat deposits of North Carolina: Bulletin 88

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6470298

Ingram, R L

Fuel-grade peat is an accumulation of partially decomposed plant material that has less than 25% non-combustible material (ash). In eastern North Carolina peat has formed in the past 10,000 years in swamps or pocosins (coastal swamps), Carolina bays, and river floodplains. Most of the peat is found at the surface with no over-burden and usually ranges in thickness from 1 to 15 ft with an average of 4-1/2 ft. The mean ash content of the fuel-grade peats is about 7.4%, but ash contents of less than 5% are common in most peat deposits. Heating values average 10,100 Btu/lb on a moisture-free basis. Fuel-grade peat deposits cover about 677,000 acres (1060 sq mi) in coastal North Carolina with total resources of about 500 million tons of moisture-free peat. Of this total, about 284,000 acres (444 sq mi) with 319 million tons are underlain by peat greater than 4 ft thick. Peat resources are concentrated in the pocosins or coastal swamps of northeastern North Carolina with the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula having 55% of the resources and the Dismal Swamp, 11%. The remaining coastal swamp deposits are small but significant. Although 96 Carolina bays have peat, only 46 have peat greater than 4 ft thick; and only one has more than 1 million tons of peat. None of the river floodplain peats located were very large, continuous, or of high quality. 75 refs.

• Research Organization: North Carolina Univ., Chapel Hill (USA). Dept. of Geology
• DOE Contract Number: AC18-79ET14693
• OSTI ID: 6470298
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/14693-T13; ON: DE87010859
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
011000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ASH CONTENT
BULK DENSITY
CALORIFIC VALUE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COAL DEPOSITS
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
DENSITY
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION IV
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MAPS
MATTER
MINERAL RESOURCES
MOISTURE
NORTH AMERICA
NORTH CAROLINA
ORGANIC MATTER
PEAT
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
RESOURCES
SULFUR CONTENT
USA
VOLATILE MATTER