r70 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



space in storage; and in the manufacture of the material much 

 less drying space is required. 



Wherever peat is extensively employed for fuel, the air-dried 

 material is usually compressed into briquets. This has been 

 used in Sweden for some time, and has also been tried in Ger- 

 many and Canada. 



Various methods are used in the preliminary treatment of the 

 material. In some experiments recently made at the Royal 

 Testing Station at Berlin 1 a method was used which had been 

 devised by engineer Strauber. The peat used had the following 

 composition. 



Fixed carbon 45 . 14 



Hydrogen 4 . 54 



Oxygen 29.34 



Ash 9 . 09 



Its thermal value was 3806 calories, which is said to equal 

 brown coal. While the details of the process are not given out, 

 it is said that it is possible to reduce the water contents to 

 about 12$ by the application of the proper amount of heat. 



In working the peat, the material is pulverized in specially 

 contrived machinery, and fibers, roots and other impurities 

 eliminated. The water is removed ' by compression, and the 

 cleansed and pulverized material pressed into molds by auto- 

 matic machinery. Hopes are entertained that the peat briquets 

 made by this new process will replace the lignite so much used 

 in Germany. 



At a Danish works 2 the peat is dredged from a scow, on which 

 there is also located a pulper or pug mill. The peat is dug by 

 hand, and shoveled into the pulper together with water. When 

 mixed, it is discharged automatically into dump cars, which take 

 the material to the molding and drying floors. By this process, 

 it is claimed, one man can dig a ton of peat (calculated dry) per 

 hour, or 10 tons per day. On this continent a peat fuel plant is 



Consular Reports. Nov. 1901. 67:254. 

 2 Mineral Industry, 7:191. 



