Peat

Peat

Description

A soft, brown mass of semicarbonized, partially decomposed residue from plants. Peat is found in water-saturated environments, such as a bog. When dried, the light, spongy material is used as an organic fuel. Dried peat burns with a smoky flame and a characteristic odor.

See also Lignite.

Synonyms and Related Terms

turba (Esp.); tourbe (Fr.); turfa (Port.); Torf (Deut.); turf (Ned.)

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Density = 0.84

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 584

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: Peat. Retrieved July 1, 2003.

• Material Explorer at www.materialexplorer.com (Accessed Oct 27, 2005)

• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: density=0.84

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000