Assessment of the peat resources of Florida, with a detailed survey of the northern everglades
Available data, including previous publications, modern soil surveys, and detailed coring in the Northern Everglades for this project have been used to update information on Florida's peat resources. It is now estimated that Florida could, if no other constraints existed, produce 606 million tons of moisture-free fuel-grade peat, which may yield approximately 10.0 x 10/sup 15/ Btu of energy. These estimates are much lower than previously published projections for the state. The principal effort of this survey was in the largest peat region of the state, the Northern Everglades of Palm Beach and adjacent counties, where more than 800 core holes were drilled. Based on analyses of these cores, the Northern Everglades is now estimated to contain 191 million tons of moisture-free peat, with a potential energy yield of 2.98 x 10/sup 15/ Btu. These values are considerably less than previously published estimates, probably due to bacterial oxidation and other forms of drainage-induced subsidence in the Everglades agricultural areas. The present fuel-peat resources of the Northern Everglades occur in 19 separate deposits. Of these, the deposits in the Port Mayaca, Bryant, Six Mile Bend, and Loxahatchee Quadrangles comprise the highest concentration of the resource. These lands are generally privately owned and used for sugar cane and other crops, and the conversion of these lands to peat removal seems unlikely. It seems even less likely that the extensive peat deposits within the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge will be available for fuel use, barring a dire national emergency. The utilization of peat as a fuel must be approached with caution and careful study; large scale use may require state or federal action. 34 references.
- Research Organization:
- Florida State Univ., Tallahassee (USA). Dept. of Geology
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG18-81FE05114
- OSTI ID:
- 6725280
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/FE/05114-T1; ON: DE84014060
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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COAL DEPOSITS
EXPLORATION
FLORIDA
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CALORIFIC VALUE
EVALUATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
MAPS
PEAT
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
DATA
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION IV
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
INFORMATION
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
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USA
011000* - Coal
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Geology
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