Blocks peat Scotland UK. Peat forms when plant material does not fully decay in acidic and anaerobic conditions. It is composed mainly of wetland vegetation: principally bog plants including mosses, sedge, and shrubs. As it accumulates, the peat holds water. Peat is the most damaging fuel in terms of global warming; even worse than coal. It has a lower calorific value than coal (generating less energy per tonne when it is burned) and yet it produces higher CO2 emissions per unit, so it is the least climate-efficient way to produce electricity or heat in Ireland bar none. Peat briquettes have been becoming more and more popular over the past number of years. They produce consistent, high heat and can burn for up to 3 hours. All bogs take hundreds or thousands of years to develop. A bog is formed when a lake slowly fills with plant debris. Sphagnum moss, as well as other plants, grow out from the lake's edge. The vegetation eventually covers the lake's entire surface. Peat is sometimes considered a ââ¬Åslowly renewable energyââ¬Â and is classified as a ââ¬Åsolid fossilââ¬Â rather than a biomass fuel by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Although peat is not strictly a fossil fuel, its greenhouse gas emissions are comparable to that of fossil fuels.
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