Peat classified as slowly renewable biomass fuel

The expert group, appointed by the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry, consisting of Dr. Patrick Crill from USA, Dr. Ken Hargreaves from UK and college lecturer Atte Korhola from Finland, studied the role of peat in Finnish greenhouse gas emissions. The group did not produce new research information, the report of the group based on the present research data available in Finland on greenhouse gas balances of Finnish mires and peat utilization, how much greenhouse gases, e.g. methane, CO2 and N2O are liberated and bound by the mires. All the virgin peatlands in Finland (4.0 million ha), forest drained peatlands (5.7 million ha), peatlands used as fields in agriculture (0.25 million ha), peat harvesting and storage, as well as the actual peat production areas (0.063 million ha) are reviewed. The main factor intensifying the greenhouse effect, so called radiate forcing, is estimated to be the methane emissions from virgin peatlands, 11 million CO2 equivalent tons per year. The next largest sources of emissions are estimated to be the CO2 emissions of peat (8 million t/a), CO2 emissions from peatlands in agricultural use (3.2 - 7.8 million t/a), the N2O emissions (over 2 million t/a) and methane emissions (less than 2 million t/a) of forest ditched peatlands. Other emission sources such as actual peat production and transportation are minimal. Largest carbon sinks are clearly forest-drained peatlands (9.4 - 14.9 million t/a) and virgin peatlands (more than 3 million t/a). Main conclusions of the experts group is that peat is formed continuously via photosynthesis of mosses, sedges and under-shrub vegetation and via forest litter formation. The report discovers that the basics of the formation of peat biomass is similar to that of other plant-based biomasses, such as wood, but the time required by stratification is different. Forests in Southern Finland become ready for harvesting in about 100 years, but the formation of commercially viable peat layers takes thousands of years. The report states also that peat should be classified as biomass fuel instead of biofuels, such as wood, or fossil fuels such as coal. According to the report peat is a renewable biomass fuel like biofuels, but due to slow accumulation it should be considered as slowly renewable fuel. The report estimates that bonding of carbon in both virgin and forest drained peatlands are so high that it can compensate the emissions formed in combustion of energy peat