Peat draws attention as hydrocarbon source

Journal Article · Mon Nov 07 04:00:00 EST 1977 · Chem. Eng. News; (United States)

OSTI ID:6692549

The peat bog has never been a very scenic place, but it represents a major potential source of hydrocarbons that may be more easily recovered than was suspected only a few years ago. At present, the Soviet Union is the principal converter of peats. The U.S. has the second largest peat reserves (after the USSR), but is not exploiting them. The energy equivalent in U.S. peat reserves has been estimated by the Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) to be about 1,443 quads (1 quad = 10/sup 15/ Btu) of energy or about 240 billion bbl of oil. These reserves are estimated to be greater than the nation's total reserves of uranium, natural gas, and petroleum combined. About one-half of the peat is in Alaska; the rest is concentrated in the north-central tier of states. A major drawback to conversion is the requirement to dewater the peat. Mechanical and solar dewatering would be the preferred methods, since economics would not permit utilizing part of the energy output of the conversion plant for dewatering. At present, the U.S. Bureau of Mines is investigating the dewatering problem in Minnesota, and a large-scale field demonstration plant for dewatering is now scheduled for Red Lake, Minnesota.

• OSTI ID: 6692549
• Journal Information: Chem. Eng. News; (United States), Journal Name: Chem. Eng. News; (United States) Vol. 55:45; ISSN CENEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
011000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
ORGANIC MATTER
PEAT
REMOVAL
RESERVES
RESOURCES
WATER REMOVAL