GC: n
CT: Since World War II there has been a big change in attitudes towards the use of peat as an energy source and the role of peatlands as a natural resource. In the 1950´s peat was still regarded as an important fuel in many countries in Europe, and large development programmes were being undertaken in Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Finland and in the member states of the then Soviet Union.
A good example of the importance of peat in energy production at that time was a decision made during the World Power Conference held in London in 1950 to maintain permanent contacts among peatmen interested in international co-operation. Through the initiative of this group and the generous support of the Irish state-owned peat company Bord na Móna, it was decided to hold an International Peat Congress in Dublin, Ireland in 1954. This plan was realised and later another International Peat Congress was organised in the then Leningrad in 1963. As a result of this development the International Peat Society was inaugurated in 1968 in Quebec, Canada in connection with the 3rd International Peat Congress.
S: http://www.peatsociety.org/peatlands-and-peat/peat-energy-resource (last access: 26 December 2016)
N: 1. C. 1200, in Scottish Latin, of unknown origin, probably from a Celtic root pett- (source also of Cornish peyth, Welsh peth “quantity, part, thing”, Old Irish pet, Breton pez “piece”). The earliest sense is not of the turf but of the cut piece of it, and the Celtic root may be connected to that of piece.
2. The youngest member of the coal series, a fuel consisting of layers of dead vegetation in varying degrees of decomposition occurring in swampy hollows in cold and intemperate regions.
3. Fresh plant growth at the surface adds material to the decomposing debris; peat may be found in layers several metres thick …
4. peat: term used at Natural Resources Canada – Earth Sciences Sector.
5. Peat is only a minor contributor to the world energy supply, but large deposits occur in Canada, China, Indonesia, Russia, Scandinavia, and the United States.
6. The rate of accumulating plant material is greatest in areas where the temperature is high enough for plant growth but too low for the vigorous microbial activity that breaks down the plant material. Such conditions are found more frequently in the northern hemisphere.
7. Peat is sedentarily accumulated material consisting of at least 30% (dry mass) of dead organic material.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=peat (last access: 15 December 2016). 2 to 4. TERMIUM PLUS – http://goo.gl/D6f3qR (last access: 26 December 2016). 5. EncBrit – https://global.britannica.com/technology/peat (last access: 15 December 2016). 6 & 7. IPS – http://www.peatsociety.org/peatlands-and-peat/what-peat (last access: 18 December 2016).
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CR: anthracite, carbon , coal, coke, energy source, lignite , manure, mineral coal, natural gas, soft brown coal.
