Characterization of stored peat in the Alberta oil sands area

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Kong, K.
  • Lindsay, J. D.
  • McGill, W. B.

• Properties of stored peat were studied at sites near Evansburg, Alberta, and on the lease of Syncrude Canada Ltd. at Mildred Lake, Alberta. Physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of stored materials were compared with those of fibric moss peat, mesic moss peat, and mesic fen peat samples from undisturbed sites. Environmentally induced changes in peat properties were simulated in' the laboratory by freeze-drying, air-drying, and thawing peat samples. Air-drying and, to a lesser extent, freeze drying, resulted in deterioration of physical properties and in reduction of microbial activity. The stored materials at Evansburg consisted entirely of peat whereas at Mildred Lake the materials were heterogeneous peat-mineral mixtures which were grouped as follows: group I, peat predominant; group II, sand predominant; group III, sand-clay mixture; and group IV, peat-sand mixture. Optimum temperatures for microbial activity in the storage piles occurred near the surface and decreased with depth while optimum moisture conditions occurred near the 50 cm depth. Frost penetration was not greater than 1 m in any of the piles. Storage piles consisting of peat-mineral mixtures which had been fertilized had a somewhat higher level of microbial activity and organic matter decomposition than undisturbed peat or stored, relatively pure peat. Properties of the stored materials which were highly correlated with each other were carbon, nitrogen, respiration rate, enzyme activity, cation exchange capacity, ash content, bulk density, pore volume, and water capacity. Relatively simple methods for the characterization of ash, carbon, and bulk density of stored materials were used.

• Date created

  1980

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Oil Sands
  • AOSERP
  • Peat
  • Oil sands
  • Tar Sands
  • Tar sands
  • AOSERP LS 5.2
  • AOSERP Report 91
  • Alberta
  • Canada, Alberta

• Type of Item

  Report

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R37773

• License

  This material is provided under educational reproduction permissions included in Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development's Copyright and Disclosure Statement, see terms at http://www.environment.alberta.ca/copyright.html. This Statement requires the following identification: \"The source of the materials is Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development http://www.environment.gov.ab.ca/. The use of these materials by the end user is done without any affiliation with or endorsement by the Government of Alberta. Reliance upon the end user's use of these materials is at the risk of the end user.