The peat coal potential

With the looming gas crisis, Bangladesh is gradually shifting its primary energy focus from gas to coal. The government is taking full-fledged efforts to identify cheaper and more reliable alternatives to coal.

In this context, experts concerned with the energy sector believe that mining peat coal could be a feasible option for this energy-hungry country. The Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) has already discovered a huge deposit of peat coal at Chatal Beel in Hakaluki Haor of the greater Sylhet division.
Peat coal is commonly used to generate electricity. The GSB claims that it has located  the country’s largest peat coal reserves, with around 24 million tonnes of coal with low sulphur content.
The state-run agency detected coal at a depth between 0.2 metres and 3 metres below the surface during a survey under the second phase of a geo-scientific project for mineral resources.
The reserve, stretching over the Moulvibazar and Sylhet districts, is mostly dry. The average thickness of this peat is 2.5 metres. “Of the discovered reserve of 24 million tonnes, the recoverable amount, comprising dry peat coal, is 9.6 million,” GSB director-general Nehal Uddin told The Independent.
Before this, the highest volume of peat coal was at Baghia-Chanda Beel in Madaripur.

Bangladesh’s discovery of peat coal
Peat, an unconsolidated deposit of semi-carbonised plant matter, is usually found in water-saturated environments such as bogs or fens, and has a persistently high moisture content. It is formed in the early stage of coal development and has 60 per cent carbon content and 30 per cent oxygen.
A team from GSB located the peat reserve, after conducting a survey in two phases, one of which was conducted from January to March 2013, and the other from January to April 2015.
The GSB has, so far, discovered considerable quantities of peat deposits in various locations of the country, most notably at Baghia-Chanda Beel in Madaripur, Kola Mauza in Khulna, and Pagla and Salla of Sunamganj.
“Chatal Beel is the country’s largest reserve of dry peat. It can be used to produce 40–50 megawatts of electricity for 100 years, and also power brick kilns. Peat coal is economically viable for electricity production,” said the GSB DG.
Nehal, who was also the project director during the first survey phase in 2013, told The Independent that the geo-scientific survey was part of a three-year programme for the development of mineral resources, at a cost of Tk. 59.6 million.
He said the geological team has dug 2,000 boreholes at Chatal Beel, with a gap of 100–400 metres between them.
“The amount of sulphur is low in this coal, which makes it fit for electricity production,” he said. “The peat coal is about 7,500 years old, and its samples are being examined in the laboratory, to determine its chemical composition.” He estimated that the coal deposit stretched over an area of around 70–80 sq kms.
The GSB conducted surveys in six upazilas, namely Kulaura, Juri, and Baralekha in Moulvibazar district and Beanibazar, Fenchuganj, and Gopalganj in Sylhet.

What do the experts say?
Dr Ijaz Hossain, a professor with the Chemical Engineering Department of BUET, said that drainage is a specific feature of peat usage, because over 90 per cent of the weight of natural peat mass is water. 
“Especially at the initial stage of ditching, a lot of water is released and directed by the force of gravitation to streamlets, rivers, and lakes, carrying with it solid substances and nutrients,” he said, adding that sophisticated mechanical and chemical techniques have been developed to reduce 
emissions from the drainage network and an acceptable purification level has been achieved under normal working conditions.
He gave the example of Finland, where attention has been paid to co-combustion of peat and wood. He said that that wood fuel, when used by itself, may cause certain problems in boilers due to its chemical properties. “Burning peat together with wood helps to control the combustion process and reduce corrosion in the superheater tubes.”

Dr Badrul Imam, professor of exploration geology at BUET, said that peat coal is not used normally in power plants, as it has a low calorific value and also dirties the power plants.
“But, in Ireland, they produce 5,000 megawatts of electricity with peat coal. We have a shortage of primary fuel to generate electricity, so we can use it,” he observed.

Usage of peat as a fuel for generating electricity across the world
Some studies were carried out in the 1970s and 1980s in Canada and the US, to evaluate the use of peat as fuel. They concluded that peat is not competitive, due to the availability of cheap oil, coal, and natural gas in those countries. 
Peat is used only in some areas in the midlands of Canada, and that, too, on a minor scale, as a local fuel. In Canada and the US, peat is used as a growing medium; today, Canada is the leading country in the world in terms of volume of horticultural peat produced. 
Thus, Canada is also one of the major players in the world community, as far as environmental issues related to the use of peat and peatlands are concerned.
There have also been some attempts to develop the use of peat as a fuel in Central Africa and South-East Asia. In Burundi, for example, 
minor peat operations have been established with the aid of West European countries.
In Indonesia and Malaysia, which have huge peat resources, fuel peat operations were developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Owing to economic difficulties in that area, these operations have been closed for now, and no major peat development programmes are currently being conducted.

The peat coal potential

With the looming gas crisis, Bangladesh is gradually shifting its primary energy focus from gas to coal. The government is taking full-fledged efforts to identify cheaper and more reliable alternatives to coal. In this context, experts concerned with the energy sector believe that mining peat coal could be a feasible option for this energy-hungry country. The Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) has already discovered a huge deposit of peat coal at Chatal Beel in Hakaluki Haor of the greater Sylhet division. Peat coal is commonly used to generate electricity. The GSB claims that it has located the countrys largest peat coal reserves, with around 24 million tonnes of coal with low sulphur content. The state-run agency detected coal at a depth between 0.2 metres and 3 metres below the surface during a survey under the second phase of a geo-scientific project for mineral resources. The reserve, stretching over the Moulvibazar and Sylhet districts, is mostly dry. The average thickness of this peat is 2.5 metres. Of the discovered reserve of 24 million tonnes, the recoverable amount, comprising dry peat coal, is 9.6 million, GSB director-general Nehal Uddin told The Independent. Before this, the highest volume of peat coal was at Baghia-Chanda Beel in Madaripur. Bangladeshs discovery of peat coal Peat, an unconsolidated deposit of semi-carbonised plant matter, is usually found in water-saturated environments such as bogs or fens, and has a persistently high moisture content. It is formed in the early stage of coal development and has 60 per cent carbon content and 30 per cent oxygen. A team from GSB located the peat reserve, after conducting a survey in two phases, one of which was conducted from January to March 2013, and the other from January to April 2015. The GSB has, so far, discovered considerable quantities of peat deposits in various locations of the country, most notably at Baghia-Chanda Beel in Madaripur, Kola Mauza in Khulna, and Pagla and Salla of Sunamganj. Chatal Beel is the countrys largest reserve of dry peat. It can be used to produce 4050 megawatts of electricity for 100 years, and also power brick kilns. Peat coal is economically viable for electricity production, said the GSB DG. Nehal, who was also the project director during the first survey phase in 2013, told The Independent that the geo-scientific survey was part of a three-year programme for the development of mineral resources, at a cost of Tk. 59.6 million. He said the geological team has dug 2,000 boreholes at Chatal Beel, with a gap of 100400 metres between them. The amount of sulphur is low in this coal, which makes it fit for electricity production, he said. The peat coal is about 7,500 years old, and its samples are being examined in the laboratory, to determine its chemical composition. He estimated that the coal deposit stretched over an area of around 7080 sq kms. The GSB conducted surveys in six upazilas, namely Kulaura, Juri, and Baralekha in Moulvibazar district and Beanibazar, Fenchuganj, and Gopalganj in Sylhet. What do the experts say? Dr Ijaz Hossain, a professor with the Chemical Engineering Department of BUET, said that drainage is a specific feature of peat usage, because over 90 per cent of the weight of natural peat mass is water. Especially at the initial stage of ditching, a lot of water is released and directed by the force of gravitation to streamlets, rivers, and lakes, carrying with it solid substances and nutrients, he said, adding that sophisticated mechanical and chemical techniques have been developed to reduce emissions from the drainage network and an acceptable purification level has been achieved under normal working conditions. He gave the example of Finland, where attention has been paid to co-combustion of peat and wood. He said that that wood fuel, when used by itself, may cause certain problems in boilers due to its chemical properties. Burning peat together with wood helps to control the combustion process and reduce corrosion in the superheater tubes. Dr Badrul Imam, professor of exploration geology at BUET, said that peat coal is not used normally in power plants, as it has a low calorific value and also dirties the power plants. But, in Ireland, they produce 5,000 megawatts of electricity with peat coal. We have a shortage of primary fuel to generate electricity, so we can use it, he observed. Usage of peat as a fuel for generating electricity across the world Some studies were carried out in the 1970s and 1980s in Canada and the US, to evaluate the use of peat as fuel. They concluded that peat is not competitive, due to the availability of cheap oil, coal, and natural gas in those countries. Peat is used only in some areas in the midlands of Canada, and that, too, on a minor scale, as a local fuel. In Canada and the US, peat is used as a growing medium; today, Canada is the leading country in the world in terms of volume of horticultural peat produced. Thus, Canada is also one of themajor players in the world community, as far as environmental issues related to the use of peat and peatlands are concerned. There have also been some attempts to develop the use of peat as afuel in Central Africa and South-EastAsia. In Burundi, for example, minor peat operations have been established with the aid of West European countries. In Indonesia and Malaysia, which have huge peat resources, fuel peat operations were developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Owing to economic difficulties in that area, these operations have been closed for now, and no major peat development programmes are currently being conducted.