Composition of long-chain fatty compounds and sterols of four milled peat samples from Finnish peatlands

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) Vol. 66; no. 5; pp. 600 - 606
• Main Authors: Ketola, Martti, Luomala, Erkki, Pihlaja, Kalevi, Nyrönen, Timo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.05.1987; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; milled peat; Peat; peat extracts; peat wax; Wood. Peat. Brown coal; peat extracts; peat wax; milled peat; Europe; Finland; Chemical composition; Solvent extraction; Fatty acids; Peat; Wax; Sterol
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(87)90265-1

Four milled peat samples from three Finnish peatlands were studied in terms of their extract content and composition of fatty compounds and sterols using capillary g.c.-m.s. The extract yields obtained by CH 2Cl 2-acetone (9:1 v/v) ranged from 49 to 180 mg g −1 of dry peat. The wax content of peat extracts varied between 43 and 55 wt %. The acidic part of extracts contained mainly long-chain fatty acids and ω-hydroxy acids with some α,ω-alkanedioic acids. The neutral extractives included predominantly primary alkanols with smaller amounts of n-alkanes and sterols. The extracts of all four peat samples were qualitatively similar but the milled peat Al with high heat value (27.1 MJ kg −1) differed from the other peats in extract content and composition. The peat B with enhanced self-heating ability resembled the ordinary milled peats A2 and C in peat technological characteristics and extractive composition. Accordingly, the self-heating ability of milled peat in stockpiles does not correlate directly to the distribution pattern of long-chain fatty compounds and sterols.