Natural Solid Fuels

Wood

Wood fuel (or fuelwood) is a fuel, such as firewood, charcoal, chips,

sheets, pellets, and sawdust. Wood is a major source of heat and light and one of the
oldest fuels in use today. Wood is also used as an alternative fuel in steam engines and
turbines to generate electricity. Wood has many advantages as an alternative fuel, as it
reduces carbon dioxide emissions and therefore causes less pollution. It is also a
commonly available renewable source. Wood is a renewable resource and emits less
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Wood fuel is cheaper compared to the costs of
fossil fuels. It provides opportunities for new companies to develop sources of income
and employment, especially in rural areas. Neglected woodlands can be managed
properly and can provide habitat for wildlife. Local production of wood fuel can reduce
the transportation costs.
In many areas, wood is the most easily available form of fuel, requiring
no tools in the case of picking up dead wood, or few tools, although as in any industry,
specialized tools, such as skidders and hydraulic wood splitters, have been developed
to mechanize production. Sawmill waste and construction industry by-products also
include various forms of lumber tailings. Some firewood is harvested in "woodlots"
managed for that purpose, but in heavily wooded areas it is more usually harvested as a
byproduct of natural forests. Harvesting timber for firewood is normally carried out by
hand with chainsaws. Thus, longer pieces - requiring less manual labour, and less
chainsaw fuel - are less expensive and only limited by the size of their firebox. Prices
also vary considerably with the distance from wood lots, and quality of the wood.

References:
2006. Alternative Fuels Reading Level 6. Irvine, California: Saddleback
Educational Publishing

Peat

Peat forms in bogs. Bogs are a type of wetland with a high acid content. Like all
wetlands, bogs are inhabited by marshy plants, including trees, grasses, and moss. The
bog's acidity prevents this vegetation from fully decaying. This partly-decayed organic
material builds up in bogs. Over millions of years, it becomes peat.
Peat is thick, muddy, and, when harvested, looks like dark, earthen bricks.
Traditional peat harvesting involves a farmer or laborer manually cutting thick strips of

peat with a large, sharp hoe. Areas of harvested peatlands are called cutaway bogs for
this reason. Today, industrial peat harvesting involves huge tractors that scrape peat
from the surface of bogs. This scraped peat is then collected into bricks. This is
called milled peat. Wet bricks of raw peat are pressed to force out water. The bricks are
then dried further, using heat or pressure. The bricks are then used as fuel, mostly for
heating homes and businesses.
Peat material is either fibric, hemic, or sapric. Fibric peats are the least
decomposed, and comprise intact fiber. Hemic peats are somewhat decomposed, and
sapric are the most decomposed. Phragmites peat is one composed of reed
grass, Phragmites australis, and other grasses. It is denser than many other types of
peat. Engineers may describe a soil as peat which has a relatively high percentage of
organic material. This soil is problematic because it exhibits poor consolidation
properties.
Among the common uses of peat is in filtration. Peat is used in water filtration,
such as for the treatment of septic tank effluent, as well as for urban runoff. Due to its
purifying properties, peat also serves as a filter for septic tanks and may be used as a
water purifier. Peat is also reported to have a number of other beneficial functions in
freshwater aquaria. It softens water by acting as an ion exchanger; it also contains
substances that are beneficial for plants, and for the reproductive health of fishes. It can
even prevent algae growth and kill microorganisms.

References:
Peat: The Forgotten Fossil Fuel. Accessed on November 26, 2016. Accessed at:
http://nationalgeographic.org/media/peat-forgotten-fuel/