peat,an organic fuel consisting of a light, spongy material formed in temperate humid environments by the accumulation and partial decomposition of vegetable remains under conditions of deficient drainage. Vast beds occur in Europe, North America, and northern Asia but are worked only where coal is deficient.

Dried peat burns readily with a smoky flame and a characteristic odour. The ash is powdery and light, except in certain varieties that have a high content of sand and other inorganic matter. Peat is used for domestic heating purposes and forms a fuel suitable for boiler firing in either briquetted or pulverized form; it also has been used in gas producers. In Ireland millions of tons of peat are consumed annually; Russia, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark also produce and use considerable quantities, and peat is used locally in England and Scotland.

Peat is usually hand organic matter, primarily plant material, in wetlands such as swamps, muskegs, bogs, fens, and moors. The development of peat is favoured by warm, moist climatic conditions; however, peat can develop even in cold regions such as Siberia, Canada, and Scandinavia. Peat is only a minor contributor to the world energy supply, but large deposits occur in Canada, China, Indonesia, Russia, Scandinavia, and the United States. Major users include Finland, Ireland, Russia, and Sweden.

The formation of peat is the first step in the formation of coal. With increasing depth of burial and increasing temperature, peat deposits are gradually changed to lignite. With increased time and higher temperatures, these low-rank coals are gradually converted to subbituminous and bituminous coal and under certain conditions to anthracite.

Peatification is influenced by several factors, including the nature of the plant material deposited, the availability of nutrients to support bacterial life, the availability of oxygen, the acidity of the peat, and temperature. Some wetlands result from high groundwater levels, whereas some elevated bogs are the result of heavy rainfall. Although the rate of plant growth in cold regions is very slow, the rate of decomposition of organic matter is also very slow. Plant material decomposes more rapidly in groundwater rich in nutrients than in elevated bogs with heavy rainfall. The presence of oxygen (aerobic conditions) is necessary for fungal and microbial activity that promotes decomposition, but peat is formed in waterlogged soils with little or no access to oxygen (anaerobic conditions), largely preventing the complete decomposition of organic material. The formation of abundant peat was not possible before land plants developed and spread widely during and after the Devonian Period (beginning approximately 360 million years ago).

Peats may be divided into several types, including fibric, coarse hemic, hemic, fine hemic, and sapric, based on their macroscopic, microscopic, and chemical characteristics. Peat may be distinguished from lower-ranked coals on the basis of four characteristics: peats generally contain free cellulose, more than 75 percent moisture, and less than 60 percent carbon, and they can be cut with a knife. The transition to brown coal takes place slowly and is usually reached at depths ranging from 100 to 400 m (approximately 330 to 1300 feet).

Peat is usually hand-cut, although progress has been made in the excavation and spreading of peat by mechanical methods. Peat is may be cut by spade in the form of blocks, which are spread out to dry (peat in its natural state contains 90 to 95 percent water); when . When dry, these the blocks weigh from three-quarters of a pound to two pounds each0.34 to 0.91 kg (0.75 to 2 pounds). In one mechanized method of mechanized winning, a dredger or excavator digs the peat from the drained bog and delivers it to a macerator (a device that softens and separates a material into its component parts through soaking), which extrudes the peat pulp through a rectangular opening; the . The pulp is then cut into blocks, which are spread to dry. Maceration promotes drying and tends to yield more uniform shrinkage and a denser and tougher fuel. Hydraulic excavating can also be used, particularly in bogs that contain roots and tree trunks. The peat is washed down by a high-pressure water jet, and the pulp runs to a sump. There, after slight maceration, it is pumped to a draining ground in a layer about 230 mm (9 inches) thick, which, after partial drying, is cut up and then dried further.Peat deposition is the first step in the formation of coal. The humid climate of the Carboniferous Period (360 to 286 million years ago), which favoured the growth of huge tropical seed ferns and giant nonflowering trees, created the vast swamp areas that constitute the coal beds of today. As the plants died and fell into the boggy waters, which excluded oxygen and killed

bacteria, they partially decomposed but did not rot away. The vegetation was changed into peat, some of which was brown and spongy, some black and compact, depending on the degree of decomposition. The sea advanced and withdrew over such deposits, and new sediments were laid down. Under pressure the peat dried and hardened to become low-grade coal, or lignite; further pressure and time created bituminous coal; and even more extreme pressures created anthraciteDried peat burns readily with a smoky flame and a characteristic odour. The ash is powdery and light, except for varieties that have a high content of inorganic matter. Peat is used for domestic heating purposes and forms a fuel suitable for boiler firing in either briquetted or pulverized form. It also has been used to produce electricity.