imported from GJermany, supplies
continue to increase from Scandinavian
countries, the Baltic States, Ireland, and
Russia. Canada also may become a
future supply source.20
Sweden.-In 1993, Sweden was
producing about 1 million m3 meters of
horticultural peat and about 3 million m3
of fuel-grade peat, annually. Swedish
peatlands were reported to cover an area
of about 6.3 million ha (15.6 million
acres), or about 15 % of the total land
area. About 865,000 ha (2.1 million
acres) of peatland was available for fuel
peat production.  The overall area
suitable for horticultural peat production
has not been surveyed yet.
Sweden currently has about 50
producers of horticultural peat, mainly in
the south and middle regions. Roughly
400,000 m3 is produced as milled peat
and 600,000 m3 as sod peat, of which
30 % to 35 % is exported. More than one-
half of the domestic consumption is used
by amateurs for home and garden
applications.21
After reaching maximum production
and sales of about 2.5 million i3 in
1950, fuel peat declined dramatically
because of its economic disadvantages to
cheaply priced fuel oil. By 1970, fuel
peat production in Sweden was
nonexistent. There was a subsequent
revival in fuel peat demand beginning in
the early 1980's, however, as an
aftershock of the global energy crises of
the 1970's.
Unfortunately, the Government's
philosophy regarding Swedish fuel peat
and peatland research has changed during
the past 3 years.  Environmental and
ecological concerns apparently have
dampened further progress in fuel peat
output. So far, fuel peat has been taxed
based on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide emissions.  The Swedish Peat
Producers Association's recent
promotional  activities  again  have
generated moderate optimism by
Government agencies.
United Kingdom.-A private
consortium of peatland conservationists,


called the Commission of Inquiry Into
Peat and Peatlands, held three public
hearings between September 29, 1991,
and November 27, 1991-two at the
Natural History Museum, London and
another in the Council Chamber,
Strathclyde Regional Council in Glasgow,
Scotland.   The   Commission  was
concerned primarily with the conservation
of lowland raised bogs, because this was
identified as the most immediately and
seriously threatened of peatland types in
the United Kingdom. The Commission
also expressed concern for the
conservation of blanket bogs, fens, and
other British peatlands, but considered
this issue to merit separate consideration.
The Commission reached several
important conclusions and
recommendations.     Current  data
suggested that there was 1.4 million ha
(3.5 million acres) of "blanket boglands"
in England, Scotland, and Wales; 10,000
ha (25,000 acres) of "intermediate bog,"
and 67,000 ha (165,000 acres) of
"lowland raised bog." The best available
scientific evidence suggested that the
maximum area of natural, undamaged
raised bog remaining in Great Britian was
less than 6,200 ha (15,000 acres), 10,000
ha (25,000 acres) in the United Kingdom;
the predominate reduction resulted from
forestation and conversion of peatlands to
agricultural use.
It was recommended that Country
Conservation Councils: English Nature,
the Countryside Council for Wales,
Scottish Natural Heritage, and the
Department of the Environment (Northern
Ireland) should adopt a rigorous policy to
protect raised bogs and rehabilitate
damaged bogs where necessary. The
Commission also stressed the use of
alternative natural organic composts.22
Current Research
Peat research and development
continued during 1993, as several projects
were reaching commercial fruition.
Commercial ventures were established to
produce and market peat-based oil sorbent
products in significant quantities in the
United States. Consumers of the peat-
based products liked the superior


absorbency and environmentally friendly
aspects of disposal relative to clay-based
products. Peat also was shown to be an
effective filtration source for the removal
of toxic wastes from secondary sewage
effluents, urban stormwater management
control, for the elimination of offensive
odors, and as a superior hulking agent in
the composting of natural organic waste
products.
The Louisa County (VA) Housing
Foundation issued a news release
announcing the dedication of the Laurel
Hill Project.   The dedication, on
November 15, 1993, was for a $100,000
neighborhood improvement project
funded by Federal, State, and local
governments as well as private donations.
What makes this project unique is that for
the first time in the United States, a
septic system using biological filter will
be used to treat wastewater from five
homes. This system, which uses peat
imported from Ireland, is being
constructed by the Louisa County
Housing Foundation under permit from
the State water control board.
The peat system represents a major
breakthrough in wastewater treatment. It
is  a   low  cost,  effective,  and
environmentally safe solution to providing
wastewater treatment in areas where the
land will not support conventional septic
drainfields and commercial systems are
too expensive.
The Natural Resources Research
Institute (NRRI), University of Minnesota
at Duluth, continued to provide technical
assistance to Mat Inc., a Floodwood,
MN, peat firm that produced peat
sorbents for D M S & D Associates, Inc.
of Ocean, NJ, and Fisher Steven Inc.
NRRI researchers reported that additional
sorbent products were in the development
stage, including peat-based socks, booms,
and wood fiber pads. Mat, Inc. was
already receiving orders for the new
products although NRRI had just begun to
identify tooling requirements for
production.
According to a recent NRRI study,
sorbents manufactured from the higher
density, more decomposed Minnesota
peats carry an optimal unit value that
gives Minnesota product more than a


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PEAT-1993